Cosmic-ray physics in the GeV-to-TeV energy range has entered a precision era thanks to recent data from space-based experiments. However, the poor knowledge of nuclear reactions, in particular for the production of antimatter and secondary nuclei, limits the information that can be extracted from these data, such as source properties, transport in the Galaxy and indirect searches for particle dark matter. The Cross-Section for Cosmic Rays at CERN workshop series has addressed the challenges encountered in the interpretation of high-precision cosmic-ray data, with the goal of strengthening emergent synergies and taking advantage of the complementarity and know-how in different communities, from theoretical and experimental astroparticle physics to high-energy and nuclear physics. In this paper, we present the outcomes of the third edition of the workshop that took place in 2024. We present the current state of cosmic-ray experiments and their perspectives, and provide a detailed road map to close the most urgent gaps in cross-section data, in order to efficiently progress on many open physics cases, which are motivated in the paper. Finally, with the aim of being as exhaustive as possible, this report touches several other fields ─ such as cosmogenic studies, space radiation protection and hadrontherapy ─ where overlapping and specific new cross-section measurements, as well as nuclear code improvement and benchmarking efforts, are also needed. We also briefly highlight further synergies between astroparticle and high-energy physics on the question of cross-sections.

A system of classical interacting spins can develop collective instabilities which, in the nonlinear regime, mimic the motion of a gyroscopic pendulum. Known as the flavor pendulum, this behavior appears among the collective modes of a dense neutrino plasma after a strong reduction of phase space through symmetry assumptions. It has been identified in homogeneous slow and fast flavor systems and, most recently, in single-wave solutions of the fast system. We explain the reasons for its ubiquitous appearance. We show that a system of three classical spins must always be pendular, or only two in the presence of an external field. Furthermore, such a system always defines a continuum of vectors with time-independent length. If these are identified as interacting spins, they immediately lead to the continuum cases of slow and fast flavor pendula. As another new insight, any of these spins can be chosen as the pendulum, periodically exchanging flavor with the rest of the system.

Exomoons around free-floating planets (FFPs) can survive their host planet's ejection. Such ejections can increase their orbital eccentricity, providing significant tidal heating in the absence of any stellar energy source. Previous studies suggested that liquid water could exist on such moons under thick CO$_2$-dominated atmospheres, but these models faced challenges with CO$_2$ condensation and atmospheric collapse, particularly in the high-pressure regimes that favoured long-term habitability. To address this, we employ a self-consistent model, including radiative transfer and equilibrium chemistry with condensation, to simulate a more stable hydrogen-dominated atmosphere for a range of initial chemical compositions, including C, O, and N. We find that such atmospheres can effectively trap heat via collision-induced absorption of H$_2$, maintaining surface temperatures suitable for liquid water for time-scales of up to 4.3 Gyr, depending on the surface pressure, while not prone to condensation-induced collapse. Wet-dry cycling caused by the strong tides together with the alkalinity of dissolved NH$_3$ could create favourable conditions for RNA polymerisation and thus support the emergence of life.

We study the correlation functions of a conformally coupled $ϕ^4$-interacting theory in AdS$_3$ and its dual CFT$_2$. The one-loop diagram is not expressible in terms of known transcendental functions, but is shown to be expressible as an infinite sum of previously well-studied tree-level diagrams, and we compute this sum using several number-theoretic conjectures. This enables us to extract recursively, the analytic expressions of anomalous dimensions of all dual double-trace operators. In the $s$-channel various consistency checks were performed against established bootstrap method, while our results in the $t$- and $u$-channel are not available in any previous literature to our knowledge.

At any given scale, 3 <inline-formula><tex-math>$\times$</tex-math></inline-formula> 2-point statistics extract only three numbers from the joint distribution of the cosmic matter density and galaxy density fluctuations: their variances and their covariance. It is well known that the full shape of the probability distribution function (PDF) of those fluctuations contains significantly more information than can be accessed through these three numbers. But the study of the PDF of cosmic density fluctuations in real observational data is still in its infancy. Here we present COSMOMENTUM, a public software toolkit for calculating theoretical predictions for the full shape of the joint distribution of a line-of-sight-projected tracer density and the gravitational lensing convergence. We demonstrate that an analysis of this full shape of the PDF can indeed disentangle complicated tracer bias and stochasticity relations from signatures of cosmic structure growth. Our paper also provides back-drop for an upcoming follow-up study, which prepares PDF analyses for application to observational data by incorporating the impact of realistic weak lensing systematics.

Axions and axion-like particles are compelling candidates for ultralight bosonic dark matter, forming coherent oscillating fields that can be probed by experiments known as haloscopes. A broad range of haloscope concepts has been developed, including resonant cavity haloscopes, lumped-element circuit detectors, and spin-based experiments, each sensitive to different axion couplings and mass ranges. Rather than attempting an exhaustive survey of all existing approaches, this comparative review provides a unified framework for the major haloscope classes, establishing a common language for the descriptions of signal generation, noise properties, data analysis, and scanning strategies. Key properties of ultralight bosonic dark matter relevant for detection are summarized first, including coherence time, spectral linewidth, and stochasticity under the standard halo model. The discussion then compares cavity, Earth-scale, lumped-element, and spin haloscopes, focusing on expected signal shapes, dominant noise sources, and statistical frameworks for axion searches. Particular emphasis is placed on consistent definitions of signal-to-noise ratio and on how detector bandwidth, axion coherence, and noise characteristics determine optimal scan strategies. By systematically comparing operating principles and performance metrics across these detector families, this framework clarifies shared concepts as well as the essential differences that govern sensitivity in different mass and coupling regimes. The resulting perspective synthesizes current search methodologies and offers guidance for optimizing future haloscope experiments.

The R3B experiment at FAIR studies nuclear reactions using high-energy radioactive beams. One key detector in R3B is the CALIFA calorimeter consisting of 2544 CsI(Tl) scintillator crystals designed to detect light charged particles and gamma rays with an energy resolution in the per cent range after Doppler correction. Precise cluster reconstruction from sparse hit patterns is a crucial requirement. Standard algorithms typically use fixed cluster sizes or geometric thresholds. To enhance performance, advanced machine learning techniques such as agglomerative clustering were implemented to use the full multi-dimensional parameter space including geometry, energy and time of individual interactions. An Edge Detection Neural Network exhibited significant differences. This study, based on Geant4 simulations, demonstrates improvements in cluster reconstruction efficiency of more than 30%, showcasing the potential of machine learning in nuclear physics experiments.

At any given scale, 3 <inline-formula><tex-math>$\times$</tex-math></inline-formula> 2-point statistics extract only three numbers from the joint distribution of the cosmic matter density and galaxy density fluctuations: their variances and their covariance. It is well known that the full shape of the probability distribution function (PDF) of those fluctuations contains significantly more information than can be accessed through these three numbers. But the study of the PDF of cosmic density fluctuations in real observational data is still in its infancy. Here we present COSMOMENTUM, a public software toolkit for calculating theoretical predictions for the full shape of the joint distribution of a line-of-sight-projected tracer density and the gravitational lensing convergence. We demonstrate that an analysis of this full shape of the PDF can indeed disentangle complicated tracer bias and stochasticity relations from signatures of cosmic structure growth. Our paper also provides back-drop for an upcoming follow-up study, which prepares PDF analyses for application to observational data by incorporating the impact of realistic weak lensing systematics.

Although half-wave plates (HWPs) are becoming a popular choice of polarization modulators for cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments, their non-idealities can introduce systematic effects that should be carefully characterized and mitigated. One possible mitigation strategy is to incorporate information about the non-idealities at the map-making level, which helps to reduce the HWP-induced distortions of the reconstructed CMB. Nevertheless, the non-idealities can only be known with finite precision. In this paper we investigate the consequences of discrepancies between their true frequency profiles and those assumed by the map-maker. We present an end-to-end framework, including a blind component-separation step, and use it to translate these discrepancies into a bias on the tensor-to-scalar ratio, $r$, for the LiteBIRD satellite mission. We subsequently derive realistic and conservative measurement requirements for accurately characterizing the HWP non-idealities to ensure they do not compromise LiteBIRD's ambitious scientific goals. We find that the obtained results are robust against sky models with varying complexity.

Recent theoretical work has revealed that basic observables of quantum field theory in de Sitter space, known as in-in or cosmological correlators, exhibit surprisingly simple mathematical structure reminiscent of scattering amplitudes in flat space. For many theories, this simplicity can be made manifest using a set of ``cosmological dressing rules'' which uplift flat-space Feynman diagrams to in-in correlators in de Sitter space by attaching auxiliary propagators to the interaction vertices. In this paper, we show that discontinuities of cosmological correlators with respect to internal energy variables can be obtained by applying auxiliary propagators to unitarity cuts of flat space Feynman diagrams. Moreover, discontinuities with respect to external energy variables can be obtained by cutting auxiliary propagators attached to Feynman diagrams. This observation in turn implies highly non-trivial constraints on cosmological correlators in the form of simple sum rules. We illustrate these ideas in a number of examples at tree-level and 1-loop for conformally coupled scalar theories, although they hold more generally. Finally, we show how to reconstruct cosmological correlators from their discontinuities using dispersion relations, providing a powerful new approach to computing cosmological observables by systematically reconstructing them from data uplifted from flat space.

We report the discovery of complex flaring activity from the galactic nucleus hosting the five-year-old tidal disruption event eRASSt J234402.9-352640 (J2344). With Einstein Probe and XMM-Newton observations, we detected highly structured soft X-ray variability. Through temporal decomposition of the XMM-Newton light curve and time-resolved spectral analysis, we identified broad, thermal flares recurring every $\sim$12 hours and lasting $\sim$2 hours, consistent with quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs). Remarkably, these QPEs are accompanied by an unprecedented crest of hotter, shorter flares, each lasting between 5 and 30 minutes. These flares are predominantly found in the rising phases of the QPEs, although they also appear throughout the quiescence. These findings establish J2344 as a new member of the QPE emitter population and uncover a previously unobserved phenomenology that challenges current models of QPEs. In this letter, we present the phenomenological properties of this unique source and discuss possible interpretations within the framework of extreme-mass-ratio inspirals.

Core-collapse supernovae (SNe) are sources of gravitational waves (GWs) produced by hydrodynamical instabilities and highly time-dependent anisotropies of the neutrino radiation. In this work we analyze both contributions to the GW signal for two state-of-the-art three-dimensional (3D) SN models computed with the Prometheus-Vertex neutrino-hydrodynamics code. In contrast to the far majority of models analyzed for GWs so far, our core-collapse simulations were started with 12.28 M_sun (18.88 M_sun) progenitors, whose final hour (7 min) of convective oxygen-shell burning was computed in 3D and featured a vigorous oxygen-neon shell merger. The corresponding large-scale asymmetries in the oxygen layer are conducive to buoyancy-aided neutrino-driven explosions. The models were continuously evolved in 3D from the pre-collapse evolution until 5.11 s (1.68 s) after the core bounce. The GW signals result from the well-known dynamical phenomena in the SN core such as prompt postshock convection, neutrino-driven convection, the standing accretion shock instability, proto-neutron star oscillations, and anisotropic ejecta expansion. They do not exhibit any new or specific features that can be unambiguously connected to the powerful pre-collapse activity in the progenitors, but we identify interesting differences compared to results in the literature. We also discuss measurement prospects by interferometers, confirming that GW signals from future Galactic SNe will be detectable with existing and next-generation experiments working in the frequency range f ~ 1-2000 Hz.

We present a systematic study of the environments of 25 luminous quasars at $z > 6.5$ from the ASPIRE program. Using JWST/NIRCam WFSS data, we identified 487 galaxies at $5.3 \lesssim z \lesssim 7.0$ exhibiting [OIII] emission. Among these, 122 [OIII] emitters lie within $|∆v_{\rm los}| < 1000~{\rm km~s^{-1}}$ of the quasars, corresponding to a $\sim9.4$-fold enhancement relative to the average galaxy density at other redshifts. Furthermore, we identified 16 [CII]-emitting galaxies at the quasar redshifts from ALMA mosaic observations. A cross-correlation function (CCF) analysis between quasars and [OIII]+[CII] emitters yields a cross-correlation length of $r_0^{\rm QG} = 8.68^{+0.51}_{-0.55}~h^{-1}~\mathrm{cMpc}$ and a auto-correlation of $r_0^{\rm{QQ}}=15.76^{+2.48}_{-2.70}~h^{-1}~{\rm cMpc}$, indicating that $z \sim 7$ quasars reside in dark matter halos with $M_{\rm halo} = 10^{12.27^{+0.21}_{-0.26}}~M_\odot$. Notably, the number of [OIII]-emitting galaxies at quasar redshifts varies significantly from field to field, ranging from zero to twenty, highlighting a diverse quasar environment. Remarkably, seven quasars trace significant galaxy overdensities (i.e., protoclusters), with $δ_{\rm gal} > 5$ within a volume of $V \sim 500~{\rm cMpc^3}$. We also find that $|∆v_{\rm los}|$ increases rapidly toward smaller galaxy-quasar separations in protocluster fields, consistent with galaxy kinematics around extremely massive halos in cosmological simulations. By combining JWST and ALMA data, we reveal the complex and diverse environments of these early quasars, providing robust evidence that the earliest luminous quasars are effective tracers of galaxy overdensities, albeit with substantial field-to-field variation.

We introduce a simulation-based inference framework to constrain the origins of individual ultra-high-energy cosmic rays by combining realistic three-dimensional propagation modeling with Bayesian parameter estimation. Our method integrates CRPropa 3 simulations, including all relevant interactions and magnetic deflections in both Galactic and extragalactic fields, with approximate Bayesian computation to infer posterior distributions over key parameters such as source position, distance, energy, and magnetic field properties. This approach allows joint constraints from the observed energy and arrival direction to be applied simultaneously, naturally incorporating their correlations in addition to relevant modelling uncertainties. We demonstrate our method by applying it to the Amaterasu particle detected by the TA observatory, the second-highest-energy cosmic ray ever detected. The resulting posterior distributions quantify the regions of space consistent with its reconstructed properties under different energy and composition assumptions, revealing a broader set of nearby source candidates than found in previous analyses. This application highlights the framework's ability to translate individual ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray observations into directly interpretable source constraints and provides a foundation for future simulation-based analyses of cosmic rays at the highest energies.

We report the multiwavelength properties of eROSITA Final Equatorial Depth Survey (eFEDS) J084222.9+001000 (hereafter ID830), a quasar at z = 3.4351, identified as the most X-ray luminous radio-loud quasar in the eFEDS field. ID830 shows a rest-frame 0.5─2 keV luminosity of <inline-formula> <mml:math><mml:mi>log</mml:mi><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:msub><mml:mi>L</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mn>0.5</mml:mn><mml:mo>−</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mspace></mml:mspace><mml:mi>keV</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mi>erg</mml:mi><mml:mspace></mml:mspace><mml:msup><mml:mi>s</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mo>−</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msup><mml:mo>)</mml:mo><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>46.20</mml:mn><mml:mo>±</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.12</mml:mn></mml:math> </inline-formula>, with a steep X-ray photon index (Γ = 2.43 ± 0.21), and a significant radio counterpart detected with the Very Large Array FIRST 1.4 GHz and Very Large Array Sky Survey 3 GHz bands. The rest-frame UV to optical spectra from Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Subaru/MOIRCS J band show a dust-reddened quasar feature with A_V = 0.39 ± 0.08 mag, and the expected bolometric active galactic nuclei luminosity from the dust-extinction-corrected UV luminosity reaches L_bol,3000Å = (7.62 ± 0.31) × 10⁴⁶ erg s⁻¹. We estimate a black hole mass of M_BH = (4.40 ± 0.72) × 10⁸ M_⊙ based on the Mg IIλ2800 emission-line width, and Eddington ratios from the dust-extinction-corrected UV continuum luminosity and X-ray luminosity that reach λ_Edd,UV = 1.44 ± 0.24 and λ_Edd,X = 12.8 ± 3.9, respectively, both indicating super-Eddington accretion. ID830 shows a high ratio of UV to X-ray luminosities, α_OX = −1.20 ± 0.07 (or α_OX = −1.42 ± 0.07 after correcting for jet-linked X-ray excess), higher than quasars and little red dots in the super-Eddington phase with similar UV luminosities, with α_OX < −1.8. Such a high α_OX suggests the coexistence of a prominent radio jet and X-ray corona in this high-Eddington-accretion phase. We propose that ID830 may be in a transitional phase after an accretion burst, evolving from a super-Eddington to a sub-Eddington state, which could naturally describe the high α_OX.

Feynman integrals whose associated geometries extend beyond the Riemann sphere, such as elliptic curves and Calabi-Yau varieties, are increasingly relevant in modern precision calculations. They arise not only in collider cross-section calculations, but also in the post-Minkowskian expansion of gravitational-wave scattering. A powerful approach to compute integrals of this type is via differential equations, particularly when cast in a canonical form, which simplifies their $\varepsilon$-expansion and makes analytic properties manifest. In these proceedings, we will present a method to systematically construct canonical differential equations even for integrals that evaluate beyond multiple polylogarithms. The discussion is kept as light as possible, focusing on the two-loop sunrise integral, deferring the technical details to the original publications.

We combine spectral- and split representations to factorize multi-loop momentum space diagrams, in the Schwinger-Keldysh formulation for cosmological correlators, with massive scalars in the loop. This allows us to extend the resummation of loop contributions from flat to de Sitter space. Furthermore, in our split representation the signal part of the correlators can be identified directly on the integrand level from the spectral function. We apply this to describe the non-perturbative flow of the EFT background and the cosmological collider signals in a large-N model.

A Very Large Telescope/MUSE population synthesis study of metallicities in the nuclear star-forming rings of four disk galaxies (NGC 613, NGC 1097, NGC 3351, NGC 7552) is presented. Disentangling the spectral contributions of young and old stellar populations, we find a large spread of ages and metallicities of the old stars in the nuclear rings. This indicates a persistent infall of metal-poor gas and ongoing episodic star formation over many Gyr. The young stars have metallicities a factor two to three higher than solar in all galaxies except NGC 3351, where the range is from half to twice solar. Previously reported detections of extremely metal-poor regions at young stellar age on the rings of these four galaxies are a methodological artifact of the average over all stars, young and old. In addition, it is important to include contributions of very young stars (<6 Myr) in this environment. For each of the four galaxies, the extinction maps generated through our population synthesis analysis provide support for the infall scenario. They reveal dust lanes along the leading edges of the stellar bars, indicating the flow of interstellar material toward the circumnuclear zone. Prominent stellar clusters show little extinction, most likely because of the onset of stellar winds. Inside and on the nuclear rings, regions that are largely free of extinction are detected.

Low-energy cosmic and solar radiation serves as a probe for investigations in astrophysics and heliophysics, and at the same time constitutes a risk to the spacecraft and crew of deep-space exploration missions. We present compact tracking calorimeters made from scintillating-plastic fibers and silicon photomultipliers that can determine the charge and energy of individual cosmic-ray nuclei with energies in the MeV-to-GeV range. Their comprehensive particle-identification capabilities allow to accurately determine the radiation exposure of astronauts and have potential applications in the indirect detection of dark matter.

The Magellanic Clouds, the closest star-forming galaxies to the Milky Way, offer an excellent environment to study high-mass X-ray binaries. While the Small Magellanic Cloud has been thoroughly investigated with over 120 systems identified, the Large Magellanic Cloud has lacked a complete survey due to its large angular size. Most prior studies targeted central or high-star-formation regions. The SRG/eROSITA all-sky surveys now enable a comprehensive coverage of the LMC, particularly due to its close vicinity to the south ecliptic pole. This work aims to improve our understanding of the HMXB population in the LMC by building a flux-limited catalogue. This allows us to compare sample properties with those of HMXB populations in other nearby galaxies. Using detections during the first eROSITA all-sky survey, we cross-matched X-ray positions with optical and infrared catalogues to identify candidate HMXBs. We assigned flags based on multi-wavelength follow-up observations and archival data, using properties of known LMC HMXBs. These flags defined confidence classes for our candidates. We detect sources down to X-ray luminosities of a few $10^{34}$ erg s$^{-1}$, resulting in a catalogue of 53 objects, including 28 confirmed HMXBs and 21 new eROSITA detections. We identify several likely supergiant systems, including a candidate supergiant fast X-ray transient with phase-dependent flares. We find three Be stars with likely white dwarf companions. Two of the Be/WD candidates show steady luminosities across four eROSITA scans, unlike the post-nova states seen in the majority of previous Be/WD reports. Our catalogue is the first to cover the entire LMC since the ROSAT era, providing a basis for statistical population studies. Using the HMXB population, we estimate the LMC star-formation rate to be $(0.22^{+0.06}_{-0.07})$ M$_{\odot}$yr$^{-1}$, which is in agreement with other tracers.

Protoplanetary disk substructures are thought to play a crucial role in disk evolution and planet formation. Population studies of disks large-sample size surveys show that substructures, and their rapid formation, are needed to reproduce the observed spectral indices. Moreover, they enable the simultaneous reproduction of the observed spectral index and size-luminosity distributions. This study aims to investigate the necessity of substructures and predict their characteristics to reproduce gas-to-dust size ratios observed in the Lupus star-forming region. We performed a population synthesis study of gas and dust evolution in disks using a two-population model (two-pop-py) and the DustPy code. We considered the effects of viscous evolution, dust growth, fragmentation, transport, and external photoevaporation. The simulated population distributions were obtained by post-processing the resulting disk profiles of surface density, maximum grain size, and disk temperature. Although substructures help reduce the discrepancy between simulated and observed disk gas-to-dust size ratios; even when accounting for external photoevaporation, they do not fully resolve it. Only specific initial conditions in disks undergoing viscous evolution with external photoevaporation can reproduce the observations, highlighting a fine-tuning problem. While substructured disks reproduce dust size and spectral index, they tend to overestimate gas radii. The results ultimately highlight the main challenge of simultaneously reproducing gas and dust sizes. One possible explanation is that the outermost substructure is linked to the disk truncation radius, which determines the gas radius, or that substructures are frequent enough to always be near the gas outer radius.

In both observed and simulated galaxies, disk morphologies become more prevalent at higher masses and lower redshifts. To elucidate the physical origin of this trend, we develop a simple analytical model in which galaxy morphology is governed by the competition between rotational support and turbulence in a gravitational potential of a dark matter halo and the galaxy itself, and a disk forms when the potential steepens due to the accumulation of baryons in the halo center. The minimum galaxy mass required for this transition decreases with an increasing dark matter contribution within the galaxy, making more concentrated halos more prone to forming disks. Our model predicts that galaxy sizes behave qualitatively differently before and after disk formation: after disks form, sizes are governed by the halo spin, in agreement with classical models, whereas before disk formation, sizes are larger and set by the scale on which turbulent motions, which dominate over rotation, can be contained. We validate our model against the results of the TNG50 cosmological simulation and, despite the simplicity of the model, find remarkable agreement. In particular, our model explains the increase with redshift in the critical halo mass for disk formation, reported in both simulations and observations, as a consequence of the evolution of the halo mass-concentration and baryonic mass-halo mass relations. This redshift trend therefore supports the recent proposal that it is the steepening of the gravitational potential that causes disk formation, while other effects discussed in the literature, such as potential deepening and hot gaseous halo formation, can still play important roles in the transition from early turbulent to dynamically cold disks.

Principled Bayesian inference of galaxy properties has not previously been performed for wide-area weak lensing surveys with millions of sources. We address this gap by applying the pop-cosmos generative model to perform spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting for 4 million KiDS-1000 galaxies. Calibrated on deep COSMOS2020 photometric data, pop-cosmos specifies a physically-motivated prior over the galaxy population up to $z \simeq 6$ in stellar population synthesis (SPS) parameter space. Using the Speculator SPS emulator with GPU-accelerated MCMC sampling, we perform full posterior inference at 6.5 GPU seconds per galaxy, obtaining joint constraints on galaxy redshifts and physical properties. We validate photometric redshifts against $\sim\!185,\!000$ KiDS galaxies cross-matched to DESI DR1 spectroscopic samples, achieving low bias ($3\times10^{-3}$), scatter ($σ_{\mathrm{MAD}}=0.04$), and outlier fraction (3.7%) for the Bright Galaxy Survey, with comparable performance (bias $3\times10^{-2}$, $σ_{\mathrm{MAD}}=0.05$, 1.3% outliers) for luminous red galaxies (LRGs). Within the LRG sample, we identify massive, dusty, star-forming contaminants at $z \simeq 0.4$ satisfying standard colour selections for quenched populations. We infer trends in stellar mass, star formation, metallicity, and dust across five tomographic redshift bins consistent with established scaling relations. Using specific star formation rate constraints, we identify $\sim$10% of KiDS-1000 galaxies as quenched, versus 37% implied by conservative colour cuts. This enables the construction of weak lensing samples defined by physical properties while mitigating intrinsic alignment systematics and preserving statistical power. Our analysis validates pop-cosmos out-of-sample, establishing it as a scaleable approach for galaxy evolution and cosmological analyses in photometric surveys.

In this study, we perform a comparative analysis of the properties of the H II regions located in different areas of barred galaxies, with the aim of investigating the impact of bars on the physical properties of the ionized gas. Based on integral field spectroscopy data for 17 barred galaxies covering approximately the central <inline-formula><tex-math>$6\times 6$</tex-math></inline-formula> kpc, we detect a total of 2200 <inline-formula><tex-math>${\mathrm H\, {\small II}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> regions, of which 331 are located within the nuclear disc (also known as circumnuclear regions), 661 in the bar region, and 1208 in the disc. Among the physical properties of the <inline-formula><tex-math>${\mathrm H\, {\small II}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> regions, we explore the O/H and N/O abundances, H<inline-formula><tex-math>$\alpha$</tex-math></inline-formula> luminosity, dust extinction, electron density, and H<inline-formula><tex-math>$\alpha$</tex-math></inline-formula> equivalent width. We find clear differences in the properties of the <inline-formula><tex-math>${\rm H\, {\small II}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> regions between the nuclear disc, the bar, and the disc, that could be explained by an enhancement in the molecular gas concentration in the central parts driven by bar-induced gas flows. As this gas is channelled towards the galaxy centre, the most extreme values in the analysed properties are found for the circumnuclear <inline-formula><tex-math>${\rm H\, {\small II}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> regions. Unlike the bar strength, galaxy mass does seem to affect the properties of the <inline-formula><tex-math>${\rm H\, {\small II}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> regions, with massive galaxies presenting higher values in most of the properties, possibly due to the increased amount of gas in these systems. This study provides evidence that the bar-driven redistribution of material within the galaxy inner parts causes significant differences in the <inline-formula><tex-math>${\rm H\, {\small II}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> region properties depending on their location within the galaxies.

An asteroseismic analysis has revealed a magnetic field in the deep interior of a slowly rotating main-sequence F star KIC 9244992, which was observed by the Kepler spacecraft for 4 yr. The star shows clear asymmetry of frequency splittings of high-order dipolar gravity modes, which cannot be explained by rotation alone, but are fully consistent with a model with rotation, a magnetic field, and a discontinuous structure (glitch). Careful examination of the frequency dependence of the asymmetry allows us to put constraints on not only the radial component of the magnetic field but also its azimuthal (toroidal) component. The lower bounds of the root mean squares of the radial and azimuthal components in the radiative region within 50 per cent in radius, which have the highest sensitivity in the layers just outside the convective core with a steep gradient of chemical compositions, are estimated to be <inline-formula><tex-math>${\mathsf {B}_{\text{r}}^{\text{min}}}=3.5\pm 0.1\, \text{kG}$</tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><tex-math>${\mathsf {B}_{\phi }^{\text{min}}}= 92 \pm 7\, \text{kG}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, respectively. The much stronger azimuthal component than the radial one is consistent with the significant contribution of the differential rotation, although the star has almost uniform rotation at present. The estimated field strengths are too strong to be explained by dynamo mechanisms in the radiative zone associated with the magnetic Tayler instability. The aspherical glitch is found to be located in the innermost radiative layers where there is a steep gradient of chemical composition. The first detection of magnetic fields in the deep interior of a main-sequence star sheds new light on the problem of stellar magnetism, for which there remain many uncertainties.

We consider Loryons, particles beyond the Standard Model that receive a significant fraction of their masses from electroweak symmetry breaking, in the context of a two Higgs doublet model. Using scalar Loryons in the the $[1,1]$, $[1,3]$ (as well as the equivalent $[3,1]$) and the $[2,2]$ representations of the custodial $SU(2)_L \times SU(2)_R$ global symmetry as benchmarks, we study the constraints on the Loryon parameter space, focusing on unitarity, Higgs decay observables, and the absence of Loryon vacuum expectation values. We find that while neutral singlet Loryons remain viable for masses up to 700 GeV, representations containing charged scalars are severely constrained by LHC data, particularly as the fraction of mass generated by symmetry breaking increases.

The first four all-sky surveys with eROSITA the soft X-ray instrument on board the Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) satellite revealed a new X-ray source, eRASSU J012422.9-724248, in the Magellanic Bridge, near the Eastern Wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). We performed a broadband timing and spectral analysis using the optical and X-ray data of eRASSU J012422.9-724248. Using the X-ray observations with eROSITA, Swift, NuSTAR and optical data from the optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE) and the Las Cumbres Observatory (LCO), we confirm the nature of eRASSU J012422.9-724248 as a Be/X-ray binary (BeXRB) pulsar in the Magellanic bridge. The position is coincident with that of an early-type star (OGLE ID SMC732.10.7). We detect the spin period at 341.71 s in NuSTAR data and infer a period of 63.65 days from the 15 year monitoring with OGLE, that we interpret as the orbital period of the system. A tentative CRSF at ~12.3 keV is identified in NuSTAR spectra with ~1.8-sigma. The source appears to show a persistent X-ray luminosity and an optical magnitude transition on the long timescale. We propose eRASSU J012422.9-724248 is a new member of the class of persistent BeXRBs.

We perform the first dedicated comparison of five hadronic codes (AM³, ATHEνA, B13, LeHa-Paris, and LeHaMoC) that have been extensively used in modeling the spectral energy distribution (SED) of jetted active galactic nuclei. The purpose of this comparison is to identify the sources of systematic errors (e.g., implementation method of proton─photon interactions) and to quantify the expected dispersion in numerical SED models computed with the five codes. The outputs from the codes are first tested in synchrotron self-Compton scenarios that are the simplest blazar emission models used in the literature. We then compare the injection rates and spectra of secondary particles produced in pure hadronic cases with monoenergetic and power-law protons interacting on blackbody and power-law photon fields. We finally compare the photon SEDs and the neutrino spectra for realistic proton-synchrotron and leptohadronic blazar models. We find that the codes are in excellent agreement with respect to the spectral shape of the photons and neutrinos. There is a remaining spread in the overall normalization that we quantify, at its maximum, at the level of ±40%. This value should be used as an additional, conservative, systematic uncertainty term when comparing numerical simulations and observations.

We derive a general expression for the resummation of rapidity distributions for processes with a colorless final state, such as Drell-Yan or Higgs production, in the limit in which the center-of-mass energy goes on threshold, but with fixed rapidity of the Higgs or gauge boson in the partonic center-of-mass frame. The result is obtained by suitably generalizing the renormalization-group based approach to threshold resummation previously pursued by us. The ensuing expression is valid to all logarithmic orders but the resummation coefficients must be determined by comparing to fixed order results. We perform this comparison for the Drell-Yan process using the fixed-order next-to-next-to-leading (NNLO) result, thereby determining resummation coefficients up to next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic (NNLL) accuracy, for the quark-antiquark coefficient function in the quark nonsinglet channel. We provide a translation to direct QCD of a result for this resummation previously obtained using SCET methods, and we show that it agrees with our own.

Chemical reaction networks are central to all chemical models. Each rate coefficient has an associated uncertainty, which is generally not taken into account when calculating the chemistry. We performed the first uncertainty analysis of a chemical model of C- and O-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) outflows using the RATE22 reaction network. Quantifying the error on the model predictions enables us to determine the need for adding complexity to the model. Using a Monte Carlo sampling method, we quantified the impact of the uncertainties on the chemical kinetic data on the predicted fractional abundances and column densities. The errors are caused by a complex interplay of reactions forming and destroying each species. Parent species show an error on their envelope sizes, which is not caused by the uncertainty on their photodissociation rate, but rather the chemistry reforming the parent after its photodissociation. Using photodissociation models to estimate the envelope size might be an oversimplification. The error on the CO envelope impacts retrieved mass-loss rates by up to a factor of two. For daughter species, the error on the peak fractional abundance ranges from a factor of a few to three orders of magnitude, and is on average about 10 per cent of its value. This error is positively correlated with the error on the column density. The standard model suffices for many species, e.g. the radial distribution of cyanopolyynes and hydrocarbon radicals around IRC +10216. However, including spherical asymmetries, dust-gas chemistry, and photochemistry induced by a close-by stellar companion are still necessary to explain certain observations.

We aim to evaluate how well the variation of small-scale magnetic fields on the stellar surface can be monitored with time-series observations. Further, we aim to establish to what extent the measured total unsigned magnetic field traces other activity indicators. We measured the total unsigned magnetic field on four young, stars using Zeeman splitting of magnetically sensitive spectral lines from high-resolution spectra obtained with the spectropolarimeters ESPaDOnS at CFHT and NARVAL at TBL. We then characterised the magnetic field variations using both sinusoidal variation and Lomb-Scargle periodograms. We evaluated how the rotational variation of the total unsigned magnetic field strength correlates with the activity indicators S-index, H$α$-index, Ca IRT-index, and the large-scale magnetic field obtained from ZDI maps obtained in earlier studies. We find clear signals of rotational modulation of the total magnetic field on HIP 76768 and tentative detection on Mel 25-5. This is supported both by the sinusoidal fitting and the periodogram. For the other stars, we find no modulation signals of the total magnetic field. We find positive correlations between the total magnetic field and activity indices on all four stars, indicating that indirect magnetic activity indicators trace the underlying magnetic field variability. However, comparing the activity-magnetic field relationship between the stars in our sample shows a significant deviation between activity level and measured magnetic field strength. Small-scale magnetic field variability can be traced using the Zeeman effect on magnetically sensitive lines, provided that the star is sufficiently active. It is also possible to self-consistently recover rotational periods from such measurements. The primary limit for the detection of magnetic field variations is the precision of Zeeman broadening and intensification measurements.

We study parameter estimation for the transport coefficients of the quark-gluon plasma by differentiating open-quantum-system-based Monte Carlo simulations of quarkonium suppression. The underlying simulator requires solving a Lindblad equation in a large Hilbert space, which makes parameter estimation computationally expensive. We approach the problem using gradient-based optimization. Specifically, we apply the score-function gradient estimator to differentiate through discrete jump sampling in the Monte Carlo wave-function algorithm used to solve the Lindblad equation. The resulting stochastic gradient estimator exhibits sufficiently low variance and can still be estimated in an embarrassingly parallel manner, enabling efficient scaling of the simulations. We implement this gradient estimator in the existing open-source quarkonium suppression code QTraj. To demonstrate its utility for parameter estimation, we infer the two transport coefficients $\hatκ$ and $\hatγ$ using gradient-based optimization on synthetic nuclear modification factor data.

This proceedings paper briefly reviews the status of direct experimental probes into the neutrino-mass scale, with an emphasis on recent results from the KATRIN experiment.

We provide an explicit construction of a manifestly duality invariant, interacting deformation of Maxwell theory in four dimensions in terms of mutually local, but interacting 1- and 3-forms. Interestingly, our theory is formulated directly as a BRST quantized gauge theory, while the underlying gauge invariant Lagrangian before gauge fixing is obscured. Furthermore, the underlying gauge invariance is based on an associative, rather than a Lie symmetry.

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) drive powerful, multiphase outflows that are thought to play a key role in galaxy evolution. The hot, shocked phase of these outflows (<inline-formula><tex-math>$T{\gtrsim }10^{6}{\rm {\ K}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) is expected to dominate the energy content, but is challenging to observe due to its long cooling time and low emissivity. The cool phase (<inline-formula><tex-math>$T{\lesssim }10^{4}{\rm {\ K}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) is easier to detect observationally, but it traces a less energetic outflow component. In prior simulations of the interaction between an energy-driven AGN outflow and a clumpy ISM, we found that mixing between hot wind and cool ISM clouds produces a new, highly radiative, phase at <inline-formula><tex-math>$T{\approx }10^{6-7}{\rm {\ K}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> which fuels the formation of a long-lived (<inline-formula><tex-math>$\ge 5\ \rm {Myr}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) cool outflow. We investigate the X-ray emission generated by thermal Bremsstrahlung and high-ionization metal line emission in this mixing phase, finding that it could contribute significantly to the X-ray output of the outflow. This mixing-induced X-ray emission is strongest in the part of the outflow propagating equatorially through the disc, and is extended on scales of <inline-formula><tex-math>$D\simeq 3\!-\!4\ \rm {kpc}$</tex-math></inline-formula>. For quasar luminosities of <inline-formula><tex-math>$L_{\rm {AGN}}{\simeq } 10^{45-46}\rm {\ erg\ s^{-1}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, the resulting X-ray luminosity is equivalent to that expected from star formation rates <inline-formula><tex-math>$\rm {SFR}\simeq 10\!-\!200\ \rm {M_\odot \ yr^{-1}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, showing that it could be an important source of soft X-rays in AGN host galaxies. Our results suggest that this extended emission could be resolvable in local quasars (<inline-formula><tex-math>$z\lesssim 0.11$</tex-math></inline-formula>) using high spatial-resolution X-ray observatories such as Chandra, or proposed missions such as AXIS and Lynx.

Young binary stars with discs provide unique laboratories for studying the earliest stages of planet formation in star-forming environments. The detection of substructure in discs around Class I protostars challenges current models of disc evolution, and suggests that planets may form earlier than previously expected (< 1 Myr). In the context of the FAUST Large Program, we present observations of the circumbinary disc (CBD) around the young binary system L1551 IRS 5. The CBD exhibits two prominent over-densities in the continuum emission at the edge of the cavity, with the northern over-density being about 20% brighter than the southern one. By analysing the disc morphology and kinematics of L1551 IRS 5, we delineate dynamical constraints on the binary's orbital parameters. Additionally, we present 3D hydrodynamical models of the CBD to predict both the dust and the gas surface densities. Then, we compare the resulting synthetic observations with ALMA observations of the continuum emission at 1.3 mm and the C¹⁸O line emission. Our analysis suggests that the density enhancements observed with ALMA in L1551 IRS 5 can be caused by interactions between the binary stars and the CBD, leading to dust concentration within the disc. We conclude that the observed over-density corresponds to a location where solids could potentially grow in size under favourable conditions.

We present an implementation of radiative transfer with flux-limited diffusion (FLD) for the moving-mesh code AREPO and use the method in a physical model for the formation of protostars with non-ideal radiation-magnetohydrodynamics (RMHD). We follow previous work in splitting the additional terms to the hydrodynamical equations arising from the inclusion of radiation into terms to be integrated explicitly and implicitly, as the diffusion and coupling terms would impose very restrictive time-step criteria. We validate the scheme with standard test problems for radiation diffusion, matter─gas coupling, and radiative shocks from the literature. Our implementation is compatible with local time-stepping, which often presents problems for implicit schemes, and we found very good agreement with results obtained with global time-steps. We present an example application of the new implementation to the collapse of a <inline-formula><tex-math>$1\, {\rm M}_\odot$</tex-math></inline-formula> molecular cloud core to a second Larson core modelled with radiation non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics. A high-velocity jet with v<inline-formula><tex-math>$_{\rm rad}> 10\, {\rm km\, s^{-1}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> is self-consistently launched from the second core, nested within the first core, which produces a lower-velocity magnetorotational outflow. We observe magnetic field amplification up to more than <inline-formula><tex-math>$\vert \mathbf {B}\vert _{\rm max}>10^5$</tex-math></inline-formula> G in the second core, which is surrounded by a small (<inline-formula><tex-math>$< 0.5$</tex-math></inline-formula> au) disc. This application demonstrates the robustness of our scheme in multiscale and high-resolution simulations on arbitrary meshes and, as such, the model can be readily used for further simulations of protostar formation at high resolution.

We present the equation of state for two classes of new ultralight particles, a scalar field coupling to electrons and a light <inline-formula><tex-math>$\mathbb {Z}_\mathcal {N}$</tex-math></inline-formula> QCD axion field coupling to nucleons. Both are potential candidates for dark matter. Using the scalar modified equations of state, we calculate models for white dwarf stars and compare their radii and masses with observed mass─radius data. The comparison results in stringent constraints on the masses of the particles and the coupling parameters. For a wide range of particle masses and coupling parameters, constraints from the white dwarf equation of state surpass existing limits, outperforming also dedicated laboratory searches. The remarkable accuracy of modern white-dwarf mass─radius relation data, exemplified by Sirius B, now allows stringent tests of dense-matter physics and constraints on new particle scenarios.

We explore the formation of intermediate mass black holes (IMBHs), potential seeds for supermassive black holes (SMBHs), via runaway stellar collisions for a wide range of star cluster (surface) densities ($4\times10^3 M_\odot$ pc$^{-2} \lesssim Σ_\mathrm{h}$ $\lesssim 4\times10^6 M_\odot$ pc$^{-2}$) and metallicities ($0.01 Z_\odot \lesssim Z \lesssim 1.0 Z_\odot)$. Our sample of isolated $(>1400)$ and hierarchical ($30$) simulations of young, massive star clusters with up to $N=1.8\times10^6$ stars includes collisional stellar dynamics, stellar evolution, and post-Newtonian equations of motion for black holes using the BIFROST code. High stellar wind rates suppress IMBH formation at high metallicities $(Z \gtrsim 0.2 Z_\odot)$ and low collision rates prevent their formation at low densities ($Σ_\mathrm{h} \lesssim 3\times10^4 M_\odot$ pc$^{-2}$). The assumptions about stellar wind loss rates strongly affect the maximum final IMBH masses $(M_\bullet \sim 6000 M_\odot$ vs. $25000 M_\odot$). The total stellar mass loss from collisions and collisionally boosted winds before $t=3$ Myr can together reach up to 5-10% of the final cluster mass. We present fitting formulae for IMBH masses as a function of host star cluster $Σ_\mathrm{h}$ and Z, and formulate a model for the cosmic IMBH formation rate density. Depending on the cluster birth densities, the IMBH formation rates peak at $z\sim2$-$4$ at up to $\sim10^{-7}$ yr$^{-1}$cMpc$^{-3}$. As more than 50% form below $z\lesssim1.5$-$3$, the model challenges a view in which all local IMBHs are failed early Universe SMBH seeds.

We investigate whether photoevaporation alone can open and sustain gaps in protoplanetary discs by coupling the evolving disc structure with the photoevaporative flow in two dimensional radiation hydrodynamical simulations. Our results show that once a density depression forms, the local mass-loss rate decreases sharply, suppressing further gap deepening. Viscous inflow and radial mass transport along the disc surface act to partially refill the depleted region, preventing complete clearing. The resulting configuration is a persistent, partially depleted zone whose evolution is largely insensitive to the initial disc morphology. This behaviour challenges the standard paradigm that photoevaporation efficiently carves clean inner cavities and directly produces transition discs. However, the pressure maximum at the outer edge of the depression may still trap dust grains, giving rise to transition disc like observational signatures. We also present a first-order prescription to approximate this behaviour in one dimensional disc evolution models, suitable for use in planet formation and population synthesis studies. Although the prescription improves upon static mass-loss treatments, it remains approximate, underscoring the need for further multidimensional simulations and parameter-space exploration to derive robust recipes for global disc and planet population models.

Changing-state active galactic nuclei (CSAGNs) exhibit rapid variability, with mass accretion rates that can change by several orders of magnitude in a few years. This provides us with a unique opportunity to study the evolution of the inner accretion flow almost in real time. Here, we used over 1000 observations to study the broadband X-ray spectra of a sample of five CSAGNs, spanning three orders of magnitude in Eddington ratio ($λ_{\rm Edd}$), using phenomenological models to trace the evolution of key spectral components. We derive several fundamental parameters, such as the photon index, soft excess strength, reflection strength, and luminosities of the soft excess and primary continuum. We find that the soft excess and primary continuum emissions show a very strong positive correlation ($p \ll 10^{-10}$), suggesting a common physical origin. The soft excess strength does not show any dependency on the reflection parameter, suggesting that in these objects the soft excess is not dominated by a blurred ionized reflection process. On the other hand, the strength of the soft excess is found to be strongly positively correlated with the Eddington ratio ($p \ll 10^{-10}$), and we find that the soft excess vanishes below $\log λ_{\rm Edd} \sim -2.5$. Moreover, we find a clear `V'-shaped relation for $Γ-λ_{\rm Edd}$, with a break at $\log λ_{\rm Edd} = -2.47 \pm 0.09$. Our findings indicate a change in the geometry of the inner accretion flow at low Eddington ratios, and that the soft excess is primarily produced via warm Comptonization.

Context. Cosmic voids are a promising probe of cosmology for spectroscopic galaxy surveys due to their unique response to cosmological parameters. Their combination with other probes promises to break parameter degeneracies. Aims. Due to simplifying assumptions, analytical models for void statistics represent only a subset of the full void population. We present a set of neural-based emulators for void summary statistics of watershed voids, which retain more information about the full void population than simplified analytical models. Methods. We built emulators for the void size function and void density profiles traced by the halo number density using the QUIJOTE suite of simulations that spans a wide range of the Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) parameter space. The emulators replace the computation of these statistics from computationally expensive cosmological simulations. We demonstrate the cosmological constraining power of voids using our emulators, which offer orders-of-magnitude acceleration in parameter estimation, capture more cosmological information compared to analytical models, and produce more realistic posteriors compared to Fisher forecasts. Results. In this QUIJOTE setup, we recover the parameters Ω_m and σ₈ to within 14.4% and 8.4% accuracy, respectively, using void density profiles. Incorporating additional information from the void size function improves the accuracy for σ₈ to 6.8%. We demonstrate the robustness of our approach with respect to two important variables in the underlying simulations: the resolution and the inclusion of baryons. We find that our pipeline is robust to variations in resolution, and we show that the posteriors derived from the emulated void statistics are unaffected by the inclusion of baryons in the Magneticum hydrodynamic simulations. This opens up the possibility of a baryon-independent probe of the large-scale structure.

The initial mass function (IMF) is a cornerstone of star formation studies, yet its universality remains debated. We investigate the IMF in the young massive cluster RCW 36, located in the Vela Molecular Ridge and comparable to the Orion Nebula Cluster in stellar density. Our goal is to build the most complete census of RCW 36 and derive its first IMF and star-to-brown-dwarf (BD) ratio. We combine new GLAO observations from HAWK-I/VLT with archival data (2MASS, SOFI/NTT) and Gaia DR3 kinematics. Photometric accuracy and source extraction were improved using \textsc{DeNeb}, a deep-learning algorithm that removes complex nebular emission. Membership probabilities were assigned via color-magnitude diagram comparisons with a control field, and stellar masses were estimated using model isochrones. We find a revised distance of $954\pm40\,$pc and determine the IMF down to $\sim0.03\,M_{\odot}$, described by a broken power law ($dN/dM\propto M^{-α}$) with $α=1.62\pm0.03$ for $0.20$-$20\,M_{\odot}$ and $α=0.46\pm0.14$ for $0.03$-$0.20\,M_{\odot}$. The star-BD ratio is $2$-$5$, consistent with other Galactic clusters. Lastly, through a study of the differences in the IMF within and outside $0.2\,$pc and the cumulative mass distributions for low-mass and intermediate to high-mass sources, we also detected signs of possible mass segregation within RCW 36, which should be primordial. RCW 36 shares many characteristics with other young massive clusters, such as a shallower than Salpeter high-mass slope and the possibility of mass segregation. The flatter lower-mass regime of the IMF is similar to most Galactic clusters. The star-BD ratio is also in line with the observed values in other clusters, independent of their inherent properties.

The tidal disruption of planets by their host stars represents a growing area of interest in transient astronomy, offering insights into the final stages of planetary system evolution. We model the hydrodynamic evolution and predict the multi-wavelength observational signatures of planetary TDEs around a solar-mass host, focusing on Jupiter-like and Neptune-like progenitors and examining how different eccentricities of the planet's pre-disruption orbit shape the morphology and emission of the tidal debris.We perform 2D hydrodynamic simulations using the FARGO3D code to model the formation and viscous evolution of the resulting debris disk. We employ a viscous alpha-disk prescription and include a time-dependent energy equation to compute the disk's effective temperature and subsequently derive the bolometric and multi-band photometric light curves.Our simulations show that planetary TDEs produce a diverse range of luminous transients. A Jupiter-like planet disrupted from a circular orbit at the Roche limit generates a transient peaking at $L_{bol} \approx 10^{38}$ erg s$^{-1}$ after a 12-day rise. In contrast, the same planet on an eccentric orbit (e=0.5) produces a transient of comparable peak luminosity but on a much shorter timescale, peaking in only 1 day and followed by a highly volatile light curve. We find that the effect of eccentricity is not universal, as it accelerates the event for Jupiter but delays it for Neptune. A robust "bluer-when-brighter" colour evolution is a common feature as the disk cools over its multi-year lifetime. The strong dependence of light curve morphology on the initial orbit and progenitor mass makes these events powerful diagnostics. This framework is crucial for identifying planetary TDEs in time-domain surveys.

For cellular functions such as division and polarization, protein pattern formation driven by NTPase cycles is a central spatial control strategy. Operating far from equilibrium, no general theory links microscopic reaction networks and parameters to the pattern type and dynamics in these protein systems. Here we discover a generic mechanism giving rise to an effective interfacial tension organizing the macroscopic structure of non-equilibrium steady-state patterns. Namely, maintaining protein-density interfaces by cyclic protein attachment and detachment produces curvature-dependent protein redistribution, which straightens the interface. We develop a non-equilibrium Neumann angle law and Plateau vertex conditions for interface junctions and mesh patterns, thus introducing the concepts of 'Turing mixtures' and 'Turing foams'. In contrast to liquid foams and mixtures, these non-equilibrium patterns can select an intrinsic wavelength by interrupting an equilibrium-like coarsening process. Data from in vitro experiments with the Escherichia coli Min protein system verify the vertex conditions and support the wavelength dynamics. Our study shows how interface laws with correspondence to thermodynamic relations can arise from distinct physical processes in active systems. It allows the design of specific pattern morphologies with potential applications as spatial control strategies in synthetic cells.

A dense neutrino plasma can exhibit collective flavor evolution caused by neutrino--neutrino refraction. Recently, a new class of exact nonlinear inhomogeneous solutions was discovered: single-wave (SW) solutions of the fast flavor system. The key property is that the flavor occupation numbers remain homogeneous, whereas the field of flavor coherence varies spatially with a single wave vector. The equations of motion for this structure resemble those of a collection of classical spins, in analogy with the homogeneous slow and fast flavor cases. In contrast, the SW system is not integrable (it does not possess Gaudin invariants) so that, while two-beam pendulum solutions are inevitable, they do not extend to a multi-angle system. We develop a taxonomy of all known nonlinear collective flavor solutions, explaining the overlap between categories and their differences.

We introduce a new photometric catalog of RR Lyrae variables (RRLs, $\sim$300,000) mainly based on data available in public datasets. We also present the largest and most homogeneous spectroscopic dataset of RRLs and Blue Horizontal Branch [BHB] stars ever collected. This includes radial velocity measurements ($\sim$16,000) and iron abundances ($Δ$S method for 8,140 RRLs, plus 547 from literature). Elemental abundances based on high-resolution spectra are provided for 487 RRLs and 64 BHB stars. We identified candidate RRLs associated to the main Galactic components and their iron distribution function (IDF) becomes more metal-rich when moving from the Halo ([Fe/H]=-1.56) to the Thick (TCD; [Fe/H]=-1.47) and Thin (TND; [Fe/H]=-0.73) disk. Furthermore, Halo RRLs and RRLs in retrograde orbits are $α$-enhanced ([$α$/Fe]=0.27, $σ$=0.18), while TCD RRLs are either $α$-enhanced ([Fe/H]$\le$-1.0) or $α$-poor ([Fe/H]$>$-1.0), and TND RRLs are mainly $α$-poor ([$α$/Fe]=-0.01, $σ$=0.20). We also identified RRLs associated to the main stellar streams (Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus [GSE]; Sequoia, Helmi, Sagittarius) and we found that their IDFs are quite similar to Halo RRLs. However, GSE RRLs lack the metal-poor/metal-rich tails and their $α$-element distribution is quite compact. The iron radial gradient in Galactocentric distance for TND, TCD and Halo RRLs is negative and it decreases from -0.026, to -0.010, and to -0.002 dex/kpc. The iron radial gradient based on dry Halo (Halo without substructures) RRLs is, within the errors, equal to the global Halo. We also found a strong similarity between iron and [$α$/Fe] radial gradients of Milky Way RRLs and M31 globular clusters throughout the full range of galactocentric distances covered by the two samples.

Tidal features provide signatures of recent galaxy mergers, offering insights into the role of mergers in galaxy evolution. The Vera C. Rubin Observatory's upcoming Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) will allow for an unprecedented study of tidal features around millions of galaxies. We use mock images of galaxies at <inline-formula><tex-math>$z\sim 0$</tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula><tex-math>$z\sim 0.2$</tex-math></inline-formula> for NEWHORIZON) from NEWHORIZON, EAGLE, ILLUSTRISTNG, and MAGNETICUM PATHFINDER simulations to predict the properties of tidal features in LSST-like images. We find that tidal features are more prevalent around blue galaxies with intrinsic colours <inline-formula><tex-math>$(g-i)\le 0.5$</tex-math></inline-formula>, compared to redder ones, at fixed stellar mass. This trend correlates with elevated specific star formation rates (<inline-formula><tex-math>$\mathrm{sSFR}>10^{-10}\mathrm{\:yr}^{-1}$</tex-math></inline-formula>), suggesting that merger-induced star formation contributes to the bluer colours. Tidal feature hosts in the red sequence appear to exhibit colour profiles offset to bluer colours for galaxies with stellar masses <inline-formula><tex-math>$10^{10}< M_{\star \mathrm{,\:30\:pkpc}}/\mathrm{M}_\odot < 10^{11}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, similarly blue cloud tidal feature host galaxies appear to have their colour profiles offset to bluer colours for <inline-formula><tex-math>$10^{9.5}< M_{\star \mathrm{,\:30\:pkpc}}/\mathrm{M}_\odot < 10^{10.5}$</tex-math></inline-formula>. However, the differences in colour profiles in either the red sequence or the blue cloud are not statistically robust and larger samples are needed to test if these differences are real. The predictions across the simulations are quantitatively distinct; therefore, LSST observations will allow us to further constrain the differences between different subgrid physics models.

We study the sensitivity of past and future stopped-pion experiments to light, invisible dark sector particles produced in exotic pion decays. We consider two-body decays involving sterile neutrinos, $π^+ \to \ell^+ N$, as well as three-body decays $π^+ \to \ell^+ ν_\ell X$, with $X$ an invisible scalar, axion-like particle, or dark vector. We recast existing limits from the PIENU experiment and project the reach of the planned PIONEER experiment using detailed simulations based on the current detector design. We find that PIONEER can improve bounds on exotic pion branching ratios by at least one order of magnitude below current limits. We compare the projected sensitivities with complementary constraints from lepton anomalous magnetic moments, mono-photon searches, and beam-dump experiments, identifying weak-violating axion-like particles as a particularly well-motivated benchmark. Our results establish PIONEER as a powerful and complementary probe of light, invisible dark sectors.

The calculation of precise predictions for Higgs decays is a necessary ingredient for determining Higgs properties at the LHC and future colliders. We compute all two- and three-body Higgs decays at next-to-leading order (NLO) in both QCD and electroweak interactions using the dimension-6 Standard Model Effective Field Theory (SMEFT). Results for four-body Higgs decays that are accurate to NLO QCD/electroweak order in the SMEFT are obtained using the narrow width approximation. Our results are contained in a flexible Monte Carlo program, NEWiSH, that is publicly available and we illustrate the impact of the NLO electroweak corrections for HL-LHC, Tera-Z, and Higgstrahlung projections.

We present a detailed multiwavelength afterglow study of the short gamma-ray burst (GRB) GRB 250704B, extensively monitored in optical and near-infrared bands. Its afterglow displays an unusually long duration plateau followed by an achromatic break and a steep decline, deviating from canonical GRB afterglows. While long plateaus are often explained by central engine activity, we find that for GRB 250704B an energy injection model requires unreasonable parameters. The afterglow is better explained by an off-axis power-law structured jet with a narrow core (θ_c ≍ 0<inline-formula> <mml:math><mml:mover><mml:mrow><mml:mo>.</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>°</mml:mtext></mml:mrow></mml:mover></mml:math> </inline-formula>7) viewed at a modest angle (θ_v ≍ 1<inline-formula> <mml:math><mml:mover><mml:mrow><mml:mo>.</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mtext>°</mml:mtext></mml:mrow></mml:mover></mml:math> </inline-formula>9). A comparison with GRB 170817A shows that both events are consistent with the off-axis structured jet scenario, where the shape of the light curve is governed primarily by the geometry of the jet and the viewing angle rather than the energetics, microphysical parameters, or external density. Our results underscore the importance of incorporating the jet structure in GRB modeling.

The AMBER experiment at CERN will measure the proton’s charge radius via muon-proton elastic scattering at high projectile energies and small momentum transfers to help to resolve the so-called proton radius puzzle, i.e., the discrepancy between charge radii measured with different experimental techniques. The core setup at AMBER consists of a hydrogen-filled time projection chamber (TPC). Tracking detectors upstream and downstream of the TPC measure the trajectories of the incoming and outgoing muons to determine their scattering angles. To resolve pile-up hits in the tracking detectors, we are constructing four high-granularity hodoscopes from 500-<math altimg="si1.svg" display="inline" id="d1e204"><mrow><mi mathvariant="normal">μ</mi><mi mathvariant="normal">m</mi></mrow></math> scintillating-plastic fibers and arrays of silicon photomultipliers. In this contribution, we present the design of the scintillating-fiber hodoscopes and first results of test-beam measurements with scaled-down prototypes. We will particularly emphasize how we managed to design detectors with a low material budget.

The measurement of dust size from millimeter-wavelength spectra provides direct constraints on grain growth in protoplanetary disks. Spectral indices between 0.88 and 2.9 mm have been measured in multiple young star-forming regions, such as Taurus, Ophiuchus, and Lupus, which have ages of 1-3 Myr. These spectral indices are as low as 2-3, suggesting that grains in disks are much larger than those in the interstellar medium. In this study, we analyze the ALMA archival data of 23 disks in the Upper Scorpius region. The observed wavelength is 2.9 mm in Band 3, the angular resolution is 3<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0001" notation="LaTeX">${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>3 <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0002" notation="LaTeX">$\times$</tex-math></inline-formula> 2<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0003" notation="LaTeX">${_{.}^{\prime\prime}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>1, which is not high enough to resolve the targets, and the rms noise is below <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0004" notation="LaTeX">$0.075~\mathrm{mJy}~\mathrm{beam}^{-1}$</tex-math></inline-formula> for almost all sources. Together with the literature values of the Band 7 fluxes of the same targets, we find that the average spectral index of the disks in the Upper Scorpius region is <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0005" notation="LaTeX">$\alpha _\mathrm{mm}=2.09\pm 0.10$</tex-math></inline-formula>, which is equal to or slightly smaller than those in the other younger regions. To explain the relationship between the fluxes and spectral indices of the disks in the Taurus, Ophiuchus, Lupus, and Upper Scorpius regions, we construct simple disk evolution models. The observations are best reproduced by models in which the inner radius of the disk increases. This suggests that a substantial amount of dust mass must persist in the outer disk regions where the dust temperature is lower than 20 K even at late evolutionary stages. These findings offer key insights into the grain growth and the temporal evolution of protoplanetary disks.

We present the discovery of SN 2025wny (ZTF25abnjznp/GOTO25gqt) and spectroscopic classification of this event as the first gravitationally lensed Type I superluminous supernova (SLSN-I). Deep ground-based follow-up observations resolve four images of the supernova with <inline-formula> <mml:math><mml:mo>∼</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mover><mml:mrow><mml:mi>.</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mi>″</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:mover><mml:mn>7</mml:mn></mml:math> </inline-formula> angular separation from the main lens galaxy, each coincident with the lensed images of a background galaxy seen in archival imaging of the field. Spectroscopy of the brightest image shows narrow features matching absorption lines at a redshift of z = 2.010 and broad features matching those seen in superluminous SNe with far-UV coverage. We infer a magnification factor of μ ∼ 20─50 for the brightest image in the system, based on photometric and spectroscopic comparisons to other SLSNe-I. SN 2025wny demonstrates that gravitationally lensed SNe are in reach of ground-based facilities out to redshifts far higher than previously assumed, and provide a unique window into studying distant supernovae and the internal properties of dwarf galaxies, as well as for time-delay cosmography.

Time-delay cosmography leverages strongly lensed quasars to measure the Universe's current expansion rate, H_0, independently from other methods. While the latest TDCOSMO results relied mainly on quadruply lensed quasars, doubly lensed systems are far more common and offer precise time delays, potentially enlarging the usable sample by a factor of five and enabling percent-level constraints on H_0. We present the first TDCOSMO analysis of a doubly imaged source, HE1104-1805, including the measurement of the four necessary ingredients. First, by combining 17 years of data from the SMARTS, Euler and WFI telescopes, we measure a time delay of 176.3\pm 10.8 days. Second, using MUSE data, we extract stellar velocity dispersion measurements in three radial bins with up to 5% precision. Third, employing F160W HST imaging for lens modelling and marginalising over various modelling choices, we measure the Fermat potential difference between the images. Fourth, using wide-field imaging, we measure the convergence added by objects not included in the lens modelling. Hence, we measure the time delay distance and the angular diameter distance to the deflector, favouring a power-law mass model over a baryonic and dark matter composite model. The measurement was performed blindly and yielded H_0 = 64.2^{+5.8}_{-5.0} x $λ_{int} km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1}, where λ_{int} is the internal mass sheet degeneracy parameter. This is in agreement with the TDCOSMO-2025 milestone and its precision for λ_{int}=1 is comparable to that obtained with the best-observed quadruply lensed quasars (4-6%). This work is a stepping stone towards a precise measurement of H_0 using a large sample of doubly lensed quasars, supplementing the current sample. The next TDCOSMO milestone paper will include this system in its hierarchical analysis, constraining λ_{int} and H_0 jointly with multiple lenses.

We consider mixed strong-electroweak corrections to Higgs production via gluon fusion, in which the Higgs boson couples to the top quark. Using the method of differential equations, we compute all of the master integrals that contribute to this process at two loops through <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>O</mml:mi><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mi>ϵ</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msup><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> in the dimensional regularization parameter <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>ϵ</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mi>d</mml:mi><mml:mo>-</mml:mo><mml:mn>4</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula>, keeping full analytic dependence on the top quark, Higgs, <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mi>W</mml:mi></mml:math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mi>Z</mml:mi></mml:math></inline-formula> boson masses. We present the results for these master integrals in terms of iterated integrals whose kernels depend on elliptic curves.

Neutrinos are the most abundant fundamental matter particles in the Universe and play a crucial part in particle physics and cosmology. Neutrino oscillation, discovered about 25 years ago, shows that the three known species mix with each other. Anomalous results from reactor and radioactive-source experiments¹ suggest a possible fourth neutrino state, the sterile neutrino, which does not interact through the weak force. The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment², primarily designed to measure the neutrino mass using tritium β-decay, also searches for sterile neutrinos suggested by these anomalies. A sterile-neutrino signal would appear as a distortion in the β-decay energy spectrum, characterized by a discontinuity in curvature (kink) related to the sterile-neutrino mass. This signature, which depends only on the shape of the spectrum rather than its absolute normalization, offers a robust, complementary approach to reactor experiments. Here we report the analysis of the energy spectrum of 36 million tritium β-decay electrons recorded in 259 measurement days within the last 40 eV below the endpoint. The results exclude a substantial part of the parameter space suggested by the gallium anomaly and challenge the Neutrino-4 claim. Together with other neutrino-disappearance experiments, KATRIN probes sterile-to-active mass splittings from a fraction of an eV² to several hundred eV², excluding light sterile neutrinos with mixing angles above a few per cent.

We study the cosmological gravitational particle production (CGPP) of spin-3/2 particles during and after cosmic inflation, and map the parameter space that can realize the observed dark matter density in stable spin-3/2 particles. Originally formulated by Rarita and Schwinger, the relativistic theory of a massive spin-3/2 field later found a home in supergravity as the superpartner of the graviton, and in nuclear physics as baryonic resonances and nuclear isotopes. We study a minimal model realization, namely a free massive spin-3/2 field minimally coupled to gravity, and adopt the name raritron for this field. We demonstrate that CGPP of raritrons crucially depends on the hierarchy between the raritron mass $m_{3/2}$ and the Hubble parameter at the end of inflation $H_e$, with high-mass and low-mass cases distinguished by the evolution of the sound speed $c_s$ of the longitudinal (helicity-1/2) mode, which is approximately unity at all times for heavy (relative to Hubble) raritrons and can become small or vanish for lighter raritrons, leading to a dramatic enhancement of production of high momentum particles in the latter case. Assuming the raritrons are stable, this leads to a wide parameter space to produce the observed dark matter density. Finally, we consider a time-dependent raritron mass, which can be chosen to remove the vanishing sound speed of the longitudinal mode, but which nonetheless enhances the production relative to the constant high-mass case, and in particular does not necessarily tame the high momentum tail of the spectrum. We perform our calculations using the Bogoliubov formalism and compare, when applicable, to the Boltzmann formalism.

Context. Accurately accounting for the Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) phase in galaxy evolution requires a large, clean AGN sample. This is now possible with SRG/eROSITA, which completed its first all-sky X-ray survey (eRASS1) on June 12, 2020. The public Data Release 1 (DR1, Jan 31, 2024) includes 930,203 sources from the western Galactic hemisphere. Aims. The data enable the selection of a large AGN sample and the discovery of rare sources. However, scientific return depends on accurate characterisation of the X-ray emitters, requiring high-quality multi-wavelength data. This paper presents the identification and classification of optical and infrared counterparts to eRASS1 sources. Methods. Counterparts to eRASS1 X-ray point sources were identified using Gaia DR3, CatWISE2020, and Legacy Survey DR10 (LS10) with the Bayesian NWAY algorithm and trained priors. Sources were classified as Galactic or extragalactic via a machine-learning model combining optical/IR and X-ray properties, trained on a reference sample. For extragalactic LS10 sources, photometric redshifts were computed using CIRCLEZ. Results. Within the LS10 footprint, all 656,614 eROSITA/DR1 sources have at least one possible optical counterpart; ∼570 000 are extragalactic and likely AGN. Half are new detections compared to AllWISE, Gaia, and Quaia AGN catalogues. Gaia and CatWISE2020 counterparts are less reliable, due to the survey's shallowness and the limited amount of features available to assess the probability of being an X-ray emitter. In the Galactic plane, where the overdensity of stellar sources also increases the chance of associations, using conservative reliability cuts, we identified approximately 18 000 Gaia and 55 000 CatWISE2020 extragalactic sources. Conclusions. We have released three high-quality counterpart catalogues ─ plus the training and validation sets ─ as a benchmark for the field. These datasets have many applications, but in particular, they empower researchers to build AGN samples tailored for completeness and purity, accelerating the hunt for the Universe's most energetic engines.

We investigate the phases of a strongly coupled QCD-like theory at finite baryon chemical potential using s-confining supersymmetric QCD deformed by anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking. Focusing on the case of three colors and four flavors, we identify novel phases including spontaneous breaking of baryon number and/or parity. Both first-order and second-order phase transitions are observed as the baryon chemical potential is varied. These findings may offer insights into possible phases of real QCD at intermediate baryon densities.

Mock galaxy catalogues are often constructed from dark-matter-only simulations based on the galaxy-halo connection. Although modern mocks can reproduce galaxy clustering to some extent, the absence of baryons affects the spatial and kinematic distributions of galaxies in ways that remain insufficiently quantified. We compare the positions and velocities of satellite galaxies in the MTNG hydrodynamic simulation with those in its dark-matter-only counterpart, assessing how baryonic effects influence galaxy clustering and contrasting them with the impact of galaxy selection, i.e. the dependence of clustering on sample definition. Using merger trees from both runs, we track satellite subhaloes until they become centrals, allowing us to match systems even when their z=0 positions differ. We then compute positional and velocity offsets as functions of halo mass and distance from the halo centre, and use these to construct a subhalo catalogue from the dark-matter-only simulation that reproduces the galaxy distribution in the hydrodynamic run. Satellites in the hydrodynamic simulation lie 3-4% closer to halo centres than in the dark-matter-only case, with an offset that is nearly constant with halo mass and increases toward smaller radii. Satellite velocities are also systematically higher in the dark-matter-only run. At scales of 0.1 Mpc/h, these spatial and kinematic differences produce 10-20% variations in clustering amplitude -- corresponding to 1-3$σ$ assuming DESI-like errors -- though the impact decreases at larger scales. These baryonic effects are relevant for cosmological and lensing analyses and should be accounted for when building high-fidelity mocks. However, they remain smaller than the differences introduced by galaxy selection, which thus represents the dominant source of uncertainty when constructing mocks based on observable quantities.

Multiplanetary systems are excellent laboratories for studying the formation and evolution of exoplanets inside the same stellar environment. The number of known multiplanetary systems is expected to skyrocket with the advent of PLATO and the Roman space telescope. The spin-orbit angle is a key context information for the systems' dynamical history, and in recent years a growing number of planets had their spin-orbit angle measured, revealing a large diversity in orbital configurations, from well-aligned to polar, and even retrograde, orbits. Still, observers lack a robust tool to compare the dynamical state of different systems and to select the most suitable ones for future avenues of exploration, such as investigating the evolutionary pathways and their links to the atmospheric composition. Here, we present ExoNAMD, an open source code aimed at evaluating the dynamical state of multiplanetary systems via the Normalized Angular Momentum Deficit (NAMD) metric. The NAMD measures the deficit in angular momentum with respect to circular, co-planar orbits. It is normalized to compare systems with different architectures and provides a lower limit on the past dynamical excitation of the system. We find that using the spin-orbit angle parameter in the NAMD calculation (A-NAMD) improves the dynamical state's description, compared to using only the relative inclinations (R-NAMD). Comparison of A-NAMD and R-NAMD also yields powerful insights into the interplay between eccentricity and spin-orbit angle. ExoNAMD is a timely tool for easy and fast comparison of the myriad of exoplanetary systems to be discovered by PLATO and Roman, and to optimize the target selection and scientific output for future atmospheric characterization using ELTs, JWST, and Ariel.

The integration of aerodynamic drag is a fundamental step in simulating dust dynamics in hydrodynamical simulations. We propose a novel integration scheme, designed to be compatible with Strang splitting techniques, which allows for the straightforward integration of external forces and hydrodynamic fluxes in general-purpose hydrodynamic simulation codes. Moreover, this solver leverages an analytical solution to the problem of drag acceleration, ensuring linear complexity even in cases with multiple dust grain sizes, as opposed to the cubic scaling of methods that require a matrix inversion step. This new general implicit Runge─Kutta (GIRK) integrator is evaluated using standard benchmarks for dust dynamics such as DUSTYBOX, DUSTYWAVE, and DUSTYSHOCK. The results demonstrate not only the accuracy of the method but also the expected scalings in terms of accuracy, convergence to equilibrium, and execution time. GIRK can be easily implemented in hydrodynamical simulations alongside hydrodynamical steps and external forces and is especially useful in simulations with a large number of dust grain sizes.

We investigate dynamical symmetry breaking in a class of chiral gauge theories containing the Georgi-Glashow model. These theories feature a gauge sector and two fermion species that transform in the two-index antisymmetric and antifundamental representations with different multiplicities. Using the effective action formalism and the functional renormalization group, we derive the flow of four-fermion interactions that encode their resonant structure and information about bound-state formation. Generalizing the theories to multiple generations, we make contact with the loss of asymptotic freedom and dissect the boundary of a conjectured conformal window. Our results show that, while most of the theory space displays a dominant color-breaking condensate, there exists a strongly coupled regime where the lowest-laying mechanisms fail and more intricate dynamics are expected to arise. This analysis provides a first step toward the infrared behavior of chiral gauge theories with functional methods.

On 2025 August 18, the LIGO─Virgo─KAGRA collaboration reported gravitational waves from a subthreshold binary neutron star merger. If astrophysical, this event would have a surprisingly low chirp mass, suggesting that at least one neutron star was below a solar mass. The Zwicky Transient Facility mapped the coarse localization and discovered a transient, ZTF 25abjmnps (AT2025ulz), which was spatially and temporally coincident with the gravitational-wave trigger. The first week of follow-up suggested properties reminiscent of a GW170817-like kilonova. Subsequent follow-up suggests properties most similar to a young, stripped-envelope, Type IIb supernova. Although we cannot statistically rule out chance coincidence, we undertake due diligence analysis to explore the possible association between ZTF 25abjmnps and S250818k. Theoretical models have been proposed wherein subsolar neutron star(s) may form (and subsequently merge) via accretion-disk fragmentation or core fission inside a core-collapse supernova—i.e., a "superkilonova." Here, we qualitatively discuss our multiwavelength dataset in the context of the superkilonova picture. Future higher-significance gravitational-wave detections of subsolar neutron star mergers with extensive electromagnetic follow-up would conclusively resolve this tantalizing multimessenger association.

Context. Our picture of galaxy evolution currently assumes that galaxies spend their life on the star formation main sequence (SFMS) until they are eventually quenched. However, recent observations show indications that the full picture might be more complicated. Aims. We reveal typical in-situ star formation histories and their relations to large-scale environment as well as gas accretion across cosmic time. We further discuss systematic imprints on stellar masses, ages, and metallicities. Methods. We follow the evolution of central galaxies in the highest-resolution box of the MAGNETICUM PATHFINDER cosmological hydrodynamical simulations and classify their evolution scenarios with respect to the SFMS. Results. We find that a major fraction of the galaxies undergoes long-term cycles of quenching and rejuvenation on gigayear timescales. This expands the framework of galaxy evolution from a secular evolution to a sequence of multiple active and passive phases. Only 14% of field galaxies on the SFMS at z ≍ 0 actually evolved along the scaling relation, while the bulk of star-forming galaxies in the local Universe have undergone cycles of quenching and rejuvenation. In this work we describe the statistics of these galaxy evolution modes and how this impacts their mean stellar masses, ages, and metallicities today. We further explore possible explanations and find that the geometry of gas accretion at the halo outskirts shows a strong correlation with the star formation rate evolution, while the density parameter as a tracer of environment shows no significant correlation. A derivation of star formation rates from gas accretion with simple assumptions only works reasonably well in the high-redshift universe, where accreted gas is quickly converted into stars. Conclusions. We conclude that an evolution scenario consistently on the main sequence is the exception, when regarding galaxies on the main sequence at lower redshifts. Galaxies with rejuvenation cycles can be distinguished well from main-sequence-evolved galaxies, both in their halo accretion modes and in their features at z ≍ 0.

Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) jets are thought to be vital ingredients in galaxy evolution through the action of kinetic feedback; however, how narrow, relativistic outflows couple to galaxies remains an open question. Jet deceleration, which is often attributed to the entrainment of material, such as stellar winds, is thought to be necessary for efficient coupling. We present a simple model of jet deceleration due to stellar mass-loading to investigate the energy budget of direct jet feedback in the local Universe. To this end, we produce models of stellar mass loss, including deriving a prescription for main-sequence mass-loss rates as a function of stellar population age. We pair this mass-loss data with a parametric fit for radio AGN incidence, predicting that a majority of jets are decelerated within their hosts, and generally replicate the expected FR-II fraction in LERGs. We calculate that ≳25% of the jet power in the local Universe is efficiently decelerated and available for direct feedback within galaxies for any stellar population age. This fraction is largely invariant to the shape of the radio AGN incidence function at low jet Eddington fractions. The stellar mass-loss rate evolves significantly over time, approximately following τ^−1.1, leading to corresponding decreases in decelerated jet power in older stellar populations. Although asymptotic giant branch stars dominate mass loss at all ages, we find that their stochasticity is important in low-mass galaxies, and derive a critical jet power below which main-sequence stars alone are sufficient to decelerate the jet.

We present constraints on the normal branch of the Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati (nDGP) braneworld gravity model from the abundance of massive galaxy clusters. On scales below the nDGP crossover scale $r_{\rm c}$, the nDGP model features an effective gravity-like fifth force that alters the growth of structure, leading to an enhancement of the halo mass function (HMF) on cluster scales. The enhanced cluster abundance allows for constraints on the nDGP model using cluster samples. We employ the SPT cluster sample, selected through the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (tSZE) with the South Pole Telescope (SPT) and with mass calibration using weak-lensing data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The cluster sample contains 1,005 clusters with redshifts $0.25 < z < 1.78$, which are confirmed with the Multi-Component Matched Filter (MCMF) algorithm using optical and near-infrared data. Weak-lensing data from DES and HST enable a robust mass measurement of the cluster sample. We use DES Year 3 data for 688 clusters with redshifts $z < 0.95$, and HST data for 39 clusters with redshifts $ 0.6 < z <1.7$. We account for the enhancement in the HMF through a semi-analytic correction factor to the $νΛ$CDM HMF derived from the spherical collapse model in the nDGP model. We then further calibrate this model using $N$-body simulations. In addition, for the first time, we analyze the primary cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropy measurements from Planck PR4 within the nDGP model. We obtain a competitive constraint from the joint analysis of the SPT cluster abundance with the Planck PR4 data, and report an upper bound of $1/\sqrt{H_0r_{\rm c}}< 1.41$ at $95\%$ when assuming a cosmology with massive neutrinos.

We analyze entanglement generated by the Schwinger effect using a mode-by-mode formalism for scalar and spinor QED in constant backgrounds. Starting from thermal initial states, we derive compact, closed-form results for bipartite entanglement between particle-antiparticle partners in terms of the Bogoliubov coefficients. For bosons, thermal fluctuations enhance production but suppress quantum correlations: the logarithmic negativity is nonzero only below a (mode-dependent) critical temperature $T_c$. At fixed $T$, entanglement appears only above a critical field $E_{\text{crit,entang}}$. For fermions, we observe a qualitatively different pattern: at finite $T$ entanglement exists only within a finite window $E_{\text{min}} < E < E_{\text{max}}$, with a temperature-independent optimal field strength $E_{*}$ that maximizes the logarithmic negativity. Entanglement is vanishing above $T_{\text{max}}=ω/\text{arcsinh}(1)$. We give quantitative estimates for analog experiments, where our entanglement criteria convert directly into concrete temperature and electric field constraints. These findings identify realistic regimes where the quantum character of Schwinger physics may be tested in the laboratory.

Ultracompact X-ray binaries (UCXBs) are a subclass of low-mass X-ray binaries characterized by tight orbits and degenerate donors, which pose significant challenges to our understanding of their formation. Recent discoveries of black hole (BH) candidates with main-sequence or red giant companions suggest that BH─white dwarf (BH─WD) binaries are common in the Galactic field. Motivated by these observations and the fact that most massive stars are born in triples, we show that wide BH─WD systems can naturally form UCXBs through the eccentric Kozai─Lidov (EKL) mechanism. Notably, EKL-driven eccentricity excitations combined with gravitational wave (GW) emission and WD dynamical tides can effectively shrink and circularize the orbit, leading to mass-transferring BH─WD binaries. These systems represent promising multimessenger sources in both X-ray and GW observations. Specifically, we predict that the wide triple channel can produce ∼3─27 (∼1─5) detectable UCXBs in the Milky Way (Andromeda galaxy), including ∼1 system observable by the mHz GW detection of LISA. If the final WD mass can reach sufficiently small values, this channel could contribute up to ∼10³ UCXBs in the Galaxy. Furthermore, the identification of tertiary companions in observed UCXBs would provide direct evidence for this formation pathway and yield unique insights into their dynamical origins.

We compute the primary Lund plane density for jets initiated by a massive ($b$) quark to single logarithmic accuracy in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). In order to capture mass effects, we consider quasi-collinear factorisation and we include contributions from the running of the QCD coupling and from collinear evolution, in a variable flavour-number scheme. Furthermore, the resummation of soft logarithms, including clustering effects, is performed numerically, keeping the full dependence on the $b$-quark mass. While our all-order results can be applied to both hadron and lepton colliders, we present, as first phenomenological application, the resummed calculation of the Lund plane density in $e^+e^-$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=M_Z$, matched to tree-level matrix elements.

Blue supergiant distances of nearby galaxies obtained with the flux-weighted gravity─luminosity relationship are used for a measurement of the zero-points of Tully─Fisher relationships at different photometric passbands. The Cousins I band and the infrared WISE bands W1 and W2 are investigated. The results are compared with previous work using Cepheid and tip of the red giant branch distances. No significant differences were encountered. This supports the large values of the Hubble constant greater than 73 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹ found with the Tully─Fisher distance ladder work over the last decade. Applying blue supergiant distances on the I-band Tully─Fisher relation observations yields a Hubble constant H₀ = 76.2 ± 6.2 km s⁻¹ Mpc⁻¹. The large uncertainty is caused by the still relatively small blue supergiant galaxy sample size but will be reduced in future work.

Ground-based high-resolution spectroscopy has identified various chemical species in the atmospheres of ultra-hot Jupiters, including neutral and ionized metals, providing key insights into planet formation through refractory element abundances. We observed the dayside thermal emission spectrum of the UHJ HAT-P-70b using the high-resolution spectrographs CARMENES and PEPSI. Through cross-correlation analysis, we detect emission signals of Al i, AlH, Ca ii, Cr i, Fe i, Fe ii, Mg i, Mn i, and Ti i, marking the first detection of Al i and AlH in an exoplanetary atmosphere. Tentative signals of C i, Ca i, Na i, NaH, and Ni i are also identified. These detections enable atmospheric retrievals to constrain the thermal profile and elemental abundances of the planet's dayside hemisphere. The retrieved temperature-pressure profile reveals a strong thermal inversion. The chemical free retrieval yields a metallicity of [Fe/H] = 0.38(+0.74/-1.11), while the chemical equilibrium retrieval gives [Fe/H] = 0.23(+1.08/-0.98), both consistent with solar metallicity. We also tentatively find an enhanced abundance of Ni, possibly due to the accretion of Ni-rich planetesimals during formation. On the other hand, elements with condensation temperatures above 1400 K (e.g., Ca, Ti, and V) appear slightly depleted, which may be caused by nightside cold trapping. However, Al, with the highest condensation temperature at 1653K, displays a solar like abundance, which might reflect the formation-related enrichment of Al. Our retrieval indicates extremely high volume mixing ratios of metal ions (Fe ii and Ca ii), which are significantly inconsistent with predictions from chemical equilibrium models. This disequilibrium suggests that the atmosphere is likely undergoing significant hydrodynamic escaping, which enhances the atmospheric density at high altitudes where the ionic lines are formed.

The relation between the masses of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) and their host galaxies encodes information on their mode of growth, especially at the earliest epochs. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has opened such investigations by detecting the host galaxies of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and more luminous quasars within the first billion years of the Universe (z ≳ 6). Here, we evaluate the relation between the mass of SMBHs and the total stellar mass of their host galaxies using a sample of nine quasars at 6.18 ≤ z ≤ 6.4 from the Subaru High-z Exploration of Low-luminosity Quasars survey with NIRCam and NIRSpec observations. We find that the observed location of these quasars in the SMBH─galaxy mass plane (<inline-formula> <mml:math><mml:mi>log</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi>M</mml:mi><mml:mi>BH</mml:mi></mml:msub><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:msub><mml:mi>M</mml:mi><mml:mo>⊙</mml:mo></mml:msub><mml:mo>∼</mml:mo><mml:mn>8</mml:mn></mml:math> </inline-formula>─9; <inline-formula> <mml:math><mml:mi>log</mml:mi><mml:msub><mml:mi>M</mml:mi><mml:mo>*</mml:mo></mml:msub><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:msub><mml:mi>M</mml:mi><mml:mo>⊙</mml:mo></mml:msub><mml:mo>∼</mml:mo><mml:mn>9.5</mml:mn></mml:math> </inline-formula>─11) is consistent with a nonevolving intrinsic mass relation with dispersion (<inline-formula> <mml:math><mml:mn>0.8</mml:mn><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mn>0</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>−</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.28</mml:mn></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mn>0.23</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup></mml:math> </inline-formula> dex) higher than the local value (∼0.3─0.4 dex) of their more massive descendants. Our analysis is based on a forward model of systematics and includes a consideration of the impact of selection effects and measurement uncertainties with an assumption on the slope of the mass relation. While degeneracies between parameters persist, the best-fit solution has a reasonable AGN fraction (2.3%) of galaxies at z ∼ 6 with an actively growing UV-unobscured black hole. In particular, models with a substantially higher normalisation in M_BH would require an unrealistically low intrinsic dispersion (∼0.22 dex). Consequently, our results predict a large population of AGN at lower black hole masses, as are now just starting to be discovered in focused efforts with JWST.

Origins of life research investigates how life could emerge from prebiotic chemistry only. One possible explanation provides the RNA world hypothesis. It states that life could emerge from RNA strands only, storing and transferring biological information, as well as catalyzing reactions as ribozymes. Before this state could have emerged, however, the prebiotic world was probably a purely chemical pool of short RNA strands with random sequences and without biological function performing hybridization and dehybridization, as well as ligation and cleavage. In this context relevant questions are what are the conditions that allow longer RNA strands to be built and how can information carrying in RNA sequence emerge? In order to investigate such RNA reactors, efficient simulations are needed because the space of possible RNA sequences increases exponentially with the length of the strands, as well as the number of reactions between two strands. In addition, simulations have to be compared to experimental data for validation and parameter calibration. Here, we present the MoRSAIK python package for sequence motif (or k-mer) reactor simulation, analysis and inference. It enables users to simulate RNA sequence motif dynamics in the mean field approximation as well as to infer the reaction parameters from data with Bayesian methods and to analyze results by computing observables and plotting. MoRSAIK simulates an RNA reactor by following the reactions and the concentrations of all strands inside up to a certain length (of four nucleotides by default). Longer strands are followed indirectly, by tracking the concentrations of their containing sequence motifs of that maximum length.

Cosmology from weak gravitational lensing has been limited by astrophysical uncertainties in baryonic feedback and intrinsic alignments. By calibrating these effects using external data, we recover non-linear information, achieving a 2% constraint on the clustering amplitude, $S_8$, resulting in a factor of two improvement on the $Λ$CDM constraints relative to the fiducial Dark Energy Survey Year 3 model. The posterior, $S_8=0.832^{+0.013}_{-0.017}$, shifts by $1.5σ$ to higher values, in closer agreement with the cosmic microwave background result for the standard six-parameter $Λ$CDM cosmology. Our approach uses a star-forming 'blue' galaxy sample with intrinsic alignment model parameters calibrated by direct spectroscopic measurements, together with a baryonic feedback model informed by observations of X-ray gas fractions and kinematic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect profiles that span a wide range in halo mass and redshift. Our results provide a blueprint for next-generation surveys: leveraging galaxy properties to control intrinsic alignments and external gas probes to calibrate feedback, unlocking a substantial improvement in the precision of weak lensing surveys.

The dynamics of phase-separated interfaces shape the behavior of both passive and active condensates. While surface tension in equilibrium systems minimizes interface length, nonequilibrium fluxes can destabilize flat or constantly curved interfaces, giving rise to complex interface morphologies. Starting from a minimal model that couples a conserved, phase-separating species to a self-generated chemical field, we identify the conditions under which interfacial instabilities may emerge. Specifically, we show that nonreciprocal chemotactic interactions induce two distinct types of instabilities: a stationary (nonoscillatory) instability that promotes interface deformations and an oscillatory instability that can give rise to persistent capillary waves propagating along the boundaries of phase-separated domains. To characterize these phenomena, we develop a perturbative framework that predicts the onset, wavelength, and velocity of capillary waves, and quantitatively validate these predictions through numerical simulations. Beyond the linear regime, our simulations reveal that capillary waves undergo a secondary instability, leading to either stationary or dynamically evolving superpositions of different wave modes. Finally, we investigate whether capillary waves can facilitate directed mass transport, either along phase boundaries (conveyor belts) or through self-sustained liquid gears crawling along a solid wall. Taken together, our results establish a general framework for interfacial dynamics in active phase-separating systems and suggest strategies for controlling mass transport in soft matter and biological condensates.

Context. Dust dynamics plays a critical role in astrophysical processes and has been modeled in hydrodynamical simulations using various approaches. Among particle-based methods like Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), the One-Fluid model has proven to be highly effective for simulating gas-dust mixtures. Aims. This study presents the implementation of the One-Fluid model in OpenGadget3, introducing improvements to the original formulation. These enhancements include time-dependent artificial viscosity and conductivity, as well as a novel treatment of dust diffusion using a pressure-like term. Methods. The improved model is tested using a suite of dust dynamics benchmark problems: DUSTYBOX, DUSTYWAVE, and DUSTYSHOCK, with the latter extended to multidimensional scenarios, as well as a dusty Sedov-Taylor blast wave. Additional tests include simulations of Cold Keplerian Disks, dusty protoplanetary disks, and Kelvin─Helmholtz instabilities to evaluate the model's robustness in more complex flows. Results. The implementation successfully passes all standard benchmark tests. It demonstrates stability and accuracy in both simple and complex simulations. The new diffusion term improves the handling of flows with large dust-to-gas ratios and low drag coefficients, although limitations of the One-Fluid model in these regimes remain. Conclusions. The enhanced One-Fluid model is a reliable and robust tool for simulating dust dynamics in OpenGadget3. While it retains some limitations inherent to the original formulation, the introduced improvements expand its applicability and address some challenges in gas-dust dynamics.

Semi-classical dilaton gravity in (1+1)-dimensions remains one of the only arenas where quantum black holes can be exactly constructed, fully accounting for backreaction due to quantum matter. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of the mass and thermodynamic properties of static asymptotically flat quantum black holes both analytically and numerically. First, we analytically investigate eternal quantum black hole solutions to a one-parameter family of analytically solvable models interpolating between Russo-Susskind-Thorlacius and Bose, Parker, and Peleg gravities. Examining these models in a semi-classically allowed parameter space, we find naked singularities may exist for quantum fields in the Boulware state. Using a quasi-local formalism, where we confine the black hole to a finite sized cavity, we derive the conserved energy and analyze the system's thermal behavior. Specifically, we show the semi-classical Wald entropy precisely equals the generalized entropy, accounting for both gravitational and fine grained matter entropies, and we find a range where the quantum black holes are thermally stable. Finally, we numerically construct eternal black hole solutions to semi-classical Callan-Giddings-Harvey-Strominger gravity and find their thermal behavior is qualitatively different from their analytic counterparts. In the process, we develop an analytic expansion of the solutions and find it accurately approximates the full numerical solutions in the semi-classical limit.

We present a very deep CO(3─2) observation of a massive, gas-rich, main sequence, barred spiral galaxy at z ≍ 1.52. Our data were taken with the IRAM-NOEMA interferometer for a 12-antenna equivalent on-source integration time of ∼50 hours. We fit the major axis kinematics with the forward modeling of a rotating disk and subtracted the two-dimensional beam convolved best-fit model, which revealed signatures of planar noncircular motions in the residuals. The inferred in-plane radial velocities are remarkably high, of the order of ≍60 km/s. Direct comparisons with a high-resolution, simulated, gas-rich, barred galaxy, obtained with the moving mesh code AREPO and the TNG sub-grid model, show that the observed noncircular gas flows can be explained as radial flows driven by the central bar, with an inferred net inflow rate of the order of the star formation rate (SFR). Given the recent evidence for a higher-than-expected fraction of barred disk galaxies at cosmic noon, our results suggest that rapid gas inflows due to bars could be important evolutionary drivers for the dominant population of star-forming galaxies at the peak epoch of star and galaxy formation.

GRB 250702B was the longest gamma-ray burst ever detected, with a duration that challenges standard collapsar models and suggests an exotic progenitor. We collected a rich set of optical and infrared follow-up observations of its rapidly fading afterglow using a suite of telescopes including the W. M. Keck Observatory, the Gemini telescopes, the Magellan Baade Telescope, the Victor M. Blanco 4 m telescope, and the Fraunhofer Telescope at Wendelstein Observatory. Our analysis reveals that the afterglow emission is well described by forward shock emission from a highly obscured relativistic jet. Deep photometric observations of the host galaxy reveal a massive (10^10.66 M_⊙), dusty, and extremely asymmetric system that is consistent with two galaxies undergoing a major merger. The galactocentric offset, host galaxy properties, and jet characteristics disfavor a jetted tidal disruption event (TDE) around a supermassive black hole but do not definitively distinguish between competing progenitor scenarios. We find that the afterglow and host are consistent with a range of progenitors, including an atypical collapsar, a merger between a helium star and a stellar-mass black hole, the disruption of a star by a stellar-mass compact object (micro-TDE), and the tidal disruption of a star by an off-nuclear intermediate-mass black hole.

We present the discovery of EP250827b/SN 2025wkm, an X-ray Flash (XRF) discovered by the Einstein Probe (EP), accompanied by a broad-line Type Ic supernova (SN Ic-BL) at $z = 0.1194$. EP250827b possesses a prompt X-ray luminosity of $\sim 10^{45} \, \rm{erg \, s^{-1}}$, lasts over 1000 seconds, and has a peak energy $E_{\rm{p}} < 1.5$ keV at 90% confidence. SN 2025wkm possesses a double-peaked light curve (LC), though its bolometric luminosity plateaus after its initial peak for $\sim 20$ days, giving evidence that a central engine is injecting additional energy into the explosion. Its spectrum transitions from a blue to red continuum with clear blueshifted Fe II and Si II broad absorption features, allowing for a SN Ic-BL classification. We do not detect any transient radio emission and rule out the existence of an on-axis, energetic jet $\gtrsim 10^{50}~$erg. In the model we invoke, the collapse gives rise to a long-lived magnetar, potentially surrounded by an accretion disk. Magnetically-driven winds from the magnetar and the disk mix together, and break out with a velocity $\sim 0.35c$ from an extended circumstellar medium with radius $\sim 10^{13}$ cm, generating X-ray breakout emission through free-free processes. The disk outflows and magnetar winds power blackbody emission as they cool, producing the first peak in the SN LC. The spin-down luminosity of the magnetar in combination with the radioactive decay of $^{56}$Ni produces the late-time SN LC. We end by discussing the landscape of XRF-SNe within the context of EP's recent discoveries.

Aims. Hyperluminous infrared galaxies (HyLIRGs; star-formation rates of up to ≍1000 M_⊙ yr⁻¹) ─ while rare ─ provide crucial long-lever-arm constraints on galaxy evolution. H-ATLAS J084933.4+021443, a z = 2.41 binary HyLIRG (galaxies 'W' and 'T') with at least two additional luminous companion galaxies ('C' and 'M'), is thus an optimal test ground for studies of star formation and galaxy evolution during 'cosmic noon'. Methods. We have used ALMA to obtain resolved imaging and kinematics of atomic and molecular emission lines, and rest-frame 340 to 1160 GHz continuum emission, for the galaxies W, T, M, and C. Results. All four galaxies are spatially resolved in CO J:7─6, [C I] 2─1, H₂O, and the millimetre (mm) to sub-millimetre continuum, using circular apertures of <inline-formula> ∼0.″3 <mml:math> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>∼</mml:mo> <mml:mn>0</mml:mn> <mml:mover> <mml:mo>.</mml:mo> <mml:mo>″</mml:mo> </mml:mover> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> </inline-formula> (2.5 kpc) in radius. Rotation-dominated gas kinematics are confirmed in W and T. The gas and continuum emission of galaxy T are extended along its kinematic minor axis, attributable to spatial lensing magnification. Spatially resolved sub-millimetre spectral energy distributions (SEDs) reveal that galaxy W is well fitted with greybody emission from dust at a single temperature over its full extent, despite hosting a powerful active galactic nucleus, while galaxy T requires an additional component of hotter nuclear dust and additional sources of emission in the millimetre. We confirm that [C I] J:2─1 can be used as a tracer of warm/dense molecular gas in extreme systems, though the [C I] J:2─1/CO J:7─6 luminosity ratio increases sub-linearly. We obtain an exquisite resolved (2.5-kpc-scale) Schmidt-Kennicutt (SK) relationship for galaxies W and T, using both cold and warm/dense molecular gas. Gas exhaustion timescales for all apertures in W (T) are ∼50─100 Myr (∼100─500 Myr). Both W and T follow a resolved SK relationship with a power-law index of n ∼ 1.7, significantly steeper than the n ∼ 1 found previously via cold molecular gas in nearby 'normal' star-forming galaxies.

We aim to study the atmospheric properties of the warm Neptune GJ 436 b by combining a set of five transit events observed with the CARMENES spectrograph with one transit from CRIRES$^+$ so as to provide the most constrained results possible at high resolution. We removed telluric and stellar signals from the data using SysRem and potential planetary signals were investigated using the cross-correlation technique. Following standard procedures for undetected species, we performed injection recovery tests and Bayesian retrievals to place constraints on the detectability of the main near-infrared absorbers. In addition, we simulated ELT/ANDES observations by computing end-to-end in silico datasets with EXoPLORE. No molecular signals were detected in the atmosphere of GJ 436 b, which is consistent with previous studies. Combined CARMENES-CRIRES$^+$ injection-recovery and Bayesian retrieval analyses show that the atmosphere is likely covered by high-altitude clouds ($\sim$ $1$ mbar) at low and intermediate metallicities or, alternatively, is very metal-rich ($\gtrsim$ $900\times$ solar), which would suppress spectral features without invoking clouds. Simulations of ELT/ANDES observations suggest a boost by nearly an order of magnitude to the upper limit in the photon-limited regime, reaching $0.1$ mbar at $10$-$300\times$ solar metallicities. The joint analysis of all useful transit observations from CARMENES and CRIRES$^+$ provides the most stringent constraints to date on the atmospheric properties of GJ 436 b. Complementary CCF-based and retrieval approaches consistently indicate that the atmosphere is either cloudy or highly metal enriched. Any weak near-infrared absorption lines, if present, are likely to be below current detection limits. However, according to our simulations, these features may be revealed with ELT/ANDES even in single-transit observations.

Luminous quasars at the redshift frontier z>7 serve as stringent probes of super-massive black hole formation and they are thought to undergo much of their growth obscured by dense gas and dust in their host galaxies. Fully characterizing the symbiotic evolution of SMBHs and hosts requires rest-frame optical observations that span spatial scales from the broad-line region to the ISM and CGM. JWST now provides the necessary spatially resolved spectroscopy to do so. But the physical conditions that regulate the interplay between SMBHs and their hosts at the highest redshifts, especially the nature of early feedback phases, remain unclear. We present JWST/NIRSpec IFU observations of J0313$-$1806 at z=7.64, the most distant luminous quasar known. From the restframe optical spectrum of the unresolved quasar, we derive a black hole mass of $M_\mathrm{BH}=(1.63 \pm 0.10)\times10^9 M_\odot$ based on H$β$ and an Eddington rate of $λ=L/L_\mathrm{Edd}=0.80\pm 0.05$, consistent with previous MgII-based estimates. J0313-1806 exhibits no detectable [O III] emission on nuclear scales. Most remarkably, we detect an ionized gas shell extending out to $\sim 1.8$ kpc traced by H$β$ emission that also lacks any significant [O III], with a $3σ$ upper limit on the [O III]$ λ$5007 to H$β$ flux ratio of $\log_{10} \left( F(\mathrm{[OIII]})/F(\mathrm{H}β)\right)=-1.15$. Through photoionization modelling, we demonstrate that the extended emission is consistent with a thin, clumpy outflowing shell where [OIII] is collisionally de-excited by dense gas. We interpret this structure as a fossil remnant of a recent blowout phase, providing evidence for episodic feedback cycles in one of the earliest quasars. These findings suggest that dense ISM phases may play a crucial role in shaping the spectral properties of quasars accross cosmic time.

We investigate the conditions under which the perturbative treatment of the backreaction of spin-2 particles on the dynamics of an axion-SU(2) gauge field system breaks down during cosmic inflation. This condition is based on the ratio of the energy density of spin-2 particles from the SU(2) gauge field to that of the background field. The perturbative treatment breaks down when this ratio exceeds unity. We show that this occurs within a parameter space nearly identical to the strong backreaction regime identified in previous studies. However, in some cases, the ratio exceeds unity even before the system enters the strong backreaction regime. Our results suggest that attempts to study the strong backreaction regime using perturbation theory are necessarily limited. Reliable calculations require non-perturbative treatments, such as three-dimensional lattice simulations.

Aims. We study the individual and cumulative impact of stellar feedback on massive black hole (MBH) growth in a simulated low-mass dwarf galaxy. Furthermore, we explore the influence of the MBH's initial mass (10³⁻⁶ M_⊙) on the gas accretion, and whether or not artificially induced gas inflows can 'boost' further gas accretion onto the MBH. Methods. A suite of high-resolution radiation-hydrodynamic simulations called NOCTUA were performed, using the AREPONOCTUA numerical framework. The chemical evolution of the interstellar medium (ISM) was modelled in a time-dependent non-equilibrium way. Two types of stellar feedback were considered: individually traced type II supernova (SNII) explosions, and radiatively transferred (on-the-fly) ionising stellar radiation (ISR) from OB stars. As part of AREPONOCTUA, we develop and apply a novel physically motivated model for MBH gas accretion, taking into account the angular momentum of the gas in the radiatively efficient regime, to estimate the gas accretion rate onto the MBH from its sub-grid accretion disc. Results. Without any stellar feedback, an initial 10⁴ M_⊙ MBH is able to steadily grow over time, roughly doubling its mass after 800 Myr. Surprisingly, the growth of the MBH more than doubles when only ISR feedback is considered, compared to the no stellar feedback run. This is due to the star formation rate (SFR) being highly suppressed (to a similar level or slightly above that when SNII feedback is considered), enabling a higher cumulative net gas inflow onto the MBH from not only the cold neutral and molecular medium phases, but also the unstable and warm neutral medium phases of the ISM. With SNII feedback included, the gas accretion onto the MBH is episodic over time, and is already suppressed by more than an order of magnitude during the first 150 Myr. When combining SNII with ISR feedback, the growth of the MBH remains suppressed due to SNII explosions, but to a lesser extent compared to the SNII-only feedback run, due to a slightly lower SFR, and thus a reduced number of SNII events. Conclusions. We conclude that SNII feedback is a strong regulator and suppressor of MBH growth, and that only an initial 10⁵ M_⊙ MBH is able to consistently accrete gas in the radiatively efficient regime (in the presence of SNII feedback). Combined with the fact that artificially induced gas inflows are unable to boost further gas accretion onto the MBH (even for an initial 10⁶ M_⊙ MBH), this suggests that it is primarily the nearby gravitational potential around the MBH that determines how much the MBH can grow via gas accretion over time (at least in an isolated non-cosmological environment).

Massive stars play a significant role in different branches of astronomy, from shaping the processes of star and planet formation to influencing the evolution and chemical enrichment of the distant universe. Despite their high astrophysical significance, these objects are rare and difficult to detect. With Gaia's advent, we now possess extensive kinematic and photometric data for a significant portion of the Galaxy that can unveil, among others, new populations of massive star candidates. In order to produce bonafide bright (G magnitude <12) massive-star candidate lists (threshold set to spectral type B2 or earlier but with slight changes in this threshold also explored) in the Milky Way subject to be followed up by future massive spectroscopic surveys, we developed a Gaia DR3 plus literature data based methodology. We trained a balanced random forest (BRF) with the spectral types from the Skiff compilation as labels. Our approach yields a completeness of ~80% and a purity ranging from 0.51 ± 0.02 for probabilities between 0.6 and 0.7, up to 0.85 ± 0.05 for the 0.9─1.0 range. To externally validate our methodology, we searched for and analyzed archival spectra of moderate- to high-probability (p > 0.6) candidates that are not contained in our catalog of labels. Our independent spectral validation confirms the expected performance of the BRF, spectroscopically classifying 300 stars as B3 or earlier (due to observational constraints imposed on the B0─3 range), including 107 new stars. Based on the most conservative yields of our methodology, our candidate list could increase the number of bright massive stars by ~50%. As a byproduct, we developed an automatic methodology for spectral typing optimized for LAMOST spectra, based on line detection and characterization that guides a decision path.

Modern radio interferometers deliver large volumes of data containing high-sensitivity sky maps over wide fields-of-view. These large area observations can contain various and superposed structures such as point sources, extended objects, and large-scale diffuse emission. To fully realize the potential of these observations, it is crucial to build appropriate sky emission models which separate and reconstruct the underlying astrophysical components. We introduce aim-resolve, an automatic and iterative method that combines the Bayesian imaging algorithm resolve with deep learning and clustering algorithms in order to jointly solve the reconstruction and source extraction problem. The method identifies and models different astrophysical components in radio observations while providing uncertainty quantification of the results. By using different model descriptions for point sources, extended objects, and diffuse background emission, the method efficiently separates the individual components and improves the overall reconstruction. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this method on synthetic image data containing multiple different sources. We further show the application of aim-resolve to an L-band (856 - 1712 MHz) MeerKAT observation of the radio galaxy ESO 137-006 and other radio galaxies in that environment. We observe a reasonable object identification for both applications, yielding a clean separation of the individual components and precise reconstructions of point sources and extended objects along with detailed uncertainty quantification. In particular, the method enables the creation of catalogs containing source positions and brightnesses and the corresponding uncertainties. The full decoupling of sky emission model and instrument response makes the method applicable to a wide variety of instruments or wavelength bands.

It has been suggested some time ago that many black hole properties are not specific to gravity, but rather are shared by a large class of objects, the so-called saturons, that saturate the quantum field theoretic upper bound on microstate degeneracy. By now, various aspects of this universality have been understood and demonstrated in a number of explicit examples. In the present paper, we add one more brick to the building by showing that the decay of a simple two-dimensional saturated soliton copies some key aspects of the black hole decay as well as of the information retrieval. In particular, we study the evaporation process of a classically stable vacuum bubble of a spontaneously broken <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mi>S</mml:mi><mml:mi>U</mml:mi><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mi>N</mml:mi><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:math></inline-formula>-symmetry, coupled to massless fermions. We show that the decay rate as well as the characteristic energy of the emitted quanta are given by the inverse size of the object, in striking similarity with the Hawking evaporation of a black hole. The timescale of information retrieval also matches the one previously suggested for a black hole by Page. We give the semiclassical derivation of the phenomenon as well as its fully quantum resolution as a decaying coherent state of Goldstone bosons. The universal nature of the effect and its microscopic understanding support the analogous quantum portrait of a black hole as a saturated coherent state of gravitons.

Intracellular protein patterns govern essential cellular functions by dynamically redistributing proteins between membrane-bound and cytosolic states, conserving their total numbers. This review presents a theoretical framework for understanding such patterns based on mass-conserving reaction--diffusion systems. The emergence, selection, and evolution of patterns are analyzed in terms of mass redistribution and interface motion, resulting in mesoscale laws of coarsening and wavelength selection. A geometric phase-space perspective provides a conceptual tool to link local reactive equilibria with global pattern dynamics through conserved mass fluxes. The Min protein system of \emph{Escherichia coli} provides a paradigmatic example, enabling direct comparison between theory and experiment. Successive model refinements capture both the robustness of pattern formation and the diversity of dynamic regimes observed \emph{in vivo} and \emph{in vitro}. The Min system thus illustrates how to extract predictive, multiscale theory from biochemical detail, providing a foundation for understanding pattern formation in more complex and synthetic systems.

Understanding the effect of system size on the applicability of the hydrodynamic description in heavy-ion physics remains unclear. Recent measurements of OO collisions at the LHC offer a new opportunity to refine our understanding of collectivity because of their intermediate size relative to heavy-ion and small-system collisions, as well as the relatively good control over their initial state. We use the CoMBolt-ITA hybrid model to describe recent OO measurements at the LHC. The model employs TrENTo for the initial state. A combination of the pre-equilibration and hydrodynamized medium stages is modeled consistently by CoMBolt-ITA, which evolves the Boltzmann distribution of massless collective excitations. The afterburner stage is included by employing UrQMD. Using this approach, we test whether the system lies in the regime where its spatial size approaches the mean free path, corresponding to low opacity, or in the opposite limit, where its size exceeds the mean free path sufficiently to enter the fluid-like evolution regime with high opacity. We find that, in light of the data-model comparison and considering the current status of the model, OO collisions with centralities larger than $60\%$ gradually leave the domain of fluid-like evolution.

Context. Disc winds driven by thermal and magnetic processes are thought to play a critical role in protoplanetary disc evolution. However, the relative contribution of each mechanism remains uncertain, particularly in light of their observational signatures. Aims. We investigate whether spatially resolved emission and synthetic spectral line profiles can be used to distinguish between thermally and magnetically driven winds in protoplanetary discs. Methods. We modelled three disc wind scenarios with different levels of magnetisation: a relatively strongly magnetised wind (β4), a rather weakly magnetised wind (β6), and a purely photoevaporative wind (PE). Using radiative transfer post-processing, we generated synthetic emission maps and line profiles for [OI] 6300 Å, [NeII] 12.81 μm, and o-H₂ 2.12 μm, and compared them with observational trends in the literature. Results. We find that the β4 model generally produces broader and more blueshifted low-velocity components across all tracers, consistent with compact emission regions and steep velocity gradients. The β6 and PE models yield narrower profiles with smaller blueshifts, in better agreement with most observed narrow low-velocity components (NLVCs). We also find that some line profile diagnostics, such as the inclination at maximum centroid velocity, are not robust discriminants. However, the overall blueshift and full width at half maximum of the low-velocity components provide reliable constraints. The β4 model reproduces the most extreme blueshifted NLVCs in observations, while most observed winds are more consistent with the β6 and PE models. Conclusions. Our findings reinforce previous conclusions that most observed NLVCs are compatible with weakly magnetised or purely photo-evaporative flows. The combination of line kinematics and emission morphology offers meaningful constraints on wind-driving physics, and synthetic line modelling remains a powerful tool for probing disc wind mechanisms.

Collective neutrino flavor conversions in core-collapse supernovae begin with instabilities, initially triggered when the dominant <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>ν</mml:mi><mml:mi>e</mml:mi></mml:msub></mml:math></inline-formula> outflow concurs with a small antineutrino flux of opposite lepton number, with <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mover><mml:mi>ν</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover><mml:mi>e</mml:mi></mml:msub></mml:math></inline-formula> dominating over <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mover><mml:mi>ν</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover><mml:mi>μ</mml:mi></mml:msub></mml:math></inline-formula>. When these "flipped" neutrinos emerge in the energy-integrated angular distribution (angular crossing), they initiate a fast instability. However, before such conditions arise, spectral crossings typically appear within 20 ms of collapse, i.e., local spectral excesses of <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mover><mml:mi>ν</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover><mml:mi>e</mml:mi></mml:msub></mml:math></inline-formula> over <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mover><mml:mi>ν</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover><mml:mi>μ</mml:mi></mml:msub></mml:math></inline-formula> along some direction. Therefore, postprocessing supernova simulations cannot consistently capture later fast instabilities because the early slow ones have already altered the conditions.

Rocky planets orbiting M dwarf stars are prime targets for atmospheric characterization, yet their long-term evolution under intense stellar winds and high-energy radiation remains poorly constrained. The Kepler-1649 system, hosting two terrestrial exoplanets orbiting an M5V star, provides a valuable laboratory for studying atmospheric evolution in the extreme environments typical of M dwarf systems. In this Letter, we show that both planets could have retained atmospheres over gigayear timescales. Using a multispecies magnetohydrodynamic model, we simulate atmospheric ion escape driven by stellar winds and extreme-ultraviolet radiation from 0.8 to 4.0 Gyr. The results reveal a clear decline in total ion escape rates with stellar age, as captured by a nonparametric LOWESS regression, with O⁺ comprising 98.3%─99.9% of the total loss. Escape rates at 4.0 Gyr are 2 to 3 orders of magnitude lower than during early epochs. At 0.8 Gyr, planet b exhibits 3.79× higher O⁺ escape rates than planet c, whereas by 4.0 Gyr its O⁺ escape rates becomes 39.5× lower. This reversal arises from a transition to sub-magnetosonic star─planet interactions, where the fast magnetosonic Mach number, M_f, falls below unity. Despite substantial early atmospheric erosion, both planets may have retained significant atmospheres, suggesting potential long-term habitability. These findings offer predictive insight into atmospheric retention in the Kepler-1649 system and inform future JWST observations of similar M dwarf terrestrial exoplanets aimed at refining habitability assessments.

We develop a quadratic-in-Riemann worldline action for a Kerr black hole at infinite spin orders by matching to a proposed tree-level Kerr Compton amplitude, originally obtained from higher-spin QFT considerations. A worldline action is an effective theory, and as such the tree-level matching needs to be corrected by loop effects, including UV counter terms, renormalization, and higher-order matching to general relativity. However, we anticipate that many features of the Wilson coefficients of the proposed tree-level action will remain unchanged even after a loop-level matching. While the worldline action is given in closed form, it contains an infinite number of quadratic-in-Riemann operators $R^2$, even for the same-helicity sector. We argue that in the same-helicity sector the $R^2$ operators have no intrinsic meaning, as they merely remove unwanted terms produced by the linear-in-Riemann operators, which are well-established in the literature. The opposite-helicity sector is somewhat more complicated, it contains both $R^2$ operators that removes unwanted terms, and $R^2$ operators that add new needed terms to the Compton amplitude. We discuss and classify all independent $R^2$ operators that can feature in the worldline action.

Possible deformed neutron halos in silicon isotopes are investigated from both structure and reaction perspectives using the deformed relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov theory in continuum (DRHBc) combined with the Glauber model. The experimental neutron separation energies of silicon isotopes are well reproduced by the DRHBc theory. Multiple halo criteria are examined, including the global ones based on root-mean-square radii and density profiles, as well as the microscopic ones based on single-particle orbitals and their spatial distributions. Calculations employing different density functionals and pairing strengths consistently indicate the emergence of $p$-wave neutron halos in $^{43,45}$Si, accompanied by pronounced shape decoupling between the halo and the core. Moreover, the enhanced reaction cross sections and the narrow longitudinal momentum distributions of one-neutron removal residues provide additional evidence supporting the halo structures in $^{43,45}$Si.

The hidden-charm pentaquark states <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi>P</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mover><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:mover></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>4312</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msup></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi>P</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mover><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:mover></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>4380</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msup></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>P</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mover><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>4440</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>P</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mover><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>4457</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula>, all with isospin <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mi>I</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:math></inline-formula>, were discovered by the LHCb Collaboration in the decay process <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:msubsup><mml:mrow><mml:mi>Λ</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mi>b</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mn>0</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msubsup><mml:mo>→</mml:mo><mml:mi>J</mml:mi><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mi>K</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:msup></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula>. Although their quantum numbers remain undetermined, these states have generated significant theoretical interest. We analyze their spectrum and decay patterns—including those of their spin partners—within the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) effective field theory (BOEFT), a framework grounded in QCD. At leading order in BOEFT, we identify these pentaquark states as bound states in BO potentials that exhibit at short distance a repulsive octet behavior and a nonperturbative shift due to the adjoint baryons masses, while asymptotically approaching the <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>Σ</mml:mi><mml:mi>c</mml:mi></mml:msub><mml:mover><mml:mi>D</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover></mml:math></inline-formula> threshold. We further incorporate <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mi>O</mml:mi><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:msub><mml:mi>m</mml:mi><mml:mi>Q</mml:mi></mml:msub><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:math></inline-formula> spin-dependent corrections to compute pentaquark multiplet spin splittings. Based on the spectrum, semi-inclusive decay widths to <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mi>J</mml:mi><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mi>ψ</mml:mi></mml:math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>η</mml:mi><mml:mi>c</mml:mi></mml:msub></mml:math></inline-formula>, and the decay width ratios to <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>Λ</mml:mi><mml:mi>c</mml:mi></mml:msub><mml:mover><mml:mi>D</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover></mml:math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>Λ</mml:mi><mml:mi>c</mml:mi></mml:msub><mml:msup><mml:mover><mml:mi>D</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover><mml:mo>*</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula>, we provide the first theoretical predictions for the adjoint baryon masses, which can be confirmed by future lattice QCD studies. Moreover, our analysis supports the quantum number assignments: <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msup><mml:mi>J</mml:mi><mml:mi>P</mml:mi></mml:msup><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:msup><mml:mo>)</mml:mo><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula> for <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>P</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mover><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>4312</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>3</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:msup><mml:mo>)</mml:mo><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula> for <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>P</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mover><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>4380</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula>, <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:msup><mml:mo>)</mml:mo><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula> for <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>P</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mover><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>4457</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula>, and <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>3</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:msup><mml:mo>)</mml:mo><mml:mo>-</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula> for <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>P</mml:mi><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mover><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mo>̄</mml:mo></mml:mover></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:msup><mml:mrow><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mn>4440</mml:mn><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:math></inline-formula>. We also present results for the lowest bottom pentaquarks.

DESI DR2 data have been widely interpreted as evidence for late-time evolving dark energy (DE) with an apparent phantom crossing. Here we investigate an alternative explanation, based on early-Universe physics. If dark acoustic oscillations (DAO) are close in scale to baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO), they can bias the extraction of the BAO scale from the peak in the galaxy correlation function. This leads to an apparent shift in the inferred distance if the superposition of BAO and DAO features is misinterpreted as being due to BAO only. Taking this shift into account, we find that a DAO with percent-level amplitude can reconcile DESI DR2 with Planck 2018 as well as Pantheon+ supernovae data, with fit improvement at a similar level as compared to evolving DE. Notably, a DAO feature with the required properties has been predicted in a previously proposed scenario that resolves the Hubble tension via a pre-recombination decoupling of dark matter and dark radiation (DRMD). The presence of a DAO feature close to the BAO peak can be scrutinized with future full-shape galaxy clustering data from DESI and Euclid.

This White Paper outlines a coordinated, decade-spanning programme of hadron and QCD studies anchored at the GSI/FAIR accelerator complex. Profiting from intense deuteron, proton and pion beams coupled with high-rate capable detectors and an international theory effort, the initiative addresses fundamental questions related to the strong interaction featuring confinement and dynamical mass generation. This includes our understanding of hadron-hadron interactions and the composition of hadrons through mapping the baryon and meson spectra, including exotic states, and quantifying hadron structure. This interdisciplinary research connects topics in the fields of nuclear, heavy-ion, and (nuclear) astro (particle) physics, linking, for example, terrestrial data to constraints on neutron star structure. A phased roadmap with SIS100 accelerator start-up and envisaged detector upgrades will yield precision cross sections, transition form factors, in-medium spectral functions, and validated theory inputs. Synergies with external programmes at international accelerator facilities worldwide are anticipated. The programme is expected to deliver decisive advances in our understanding of non-perturbative (strong) QCD and astrophysics, and high-rate detector and data-science technology.