We perform an all-order analysis of double-logarithmic corrections to the so-called soft-overlap contribution to heavy-to-light transition form factors at large hadronic recoil. Specifically, we study $B_c \to \eta_c$ transitions within a perturbative non-relativistic framework, treating both the bottom and charm quarks as heavy with the hierarchy $m_b \gg m_c \gg\Lambda_{\rm QCD}$. Our diagrammatic analysis shows that double-logarithmic corrections arise from two distinct sources: Exponentiated soft-gluon effects described by standard Sudakov factors, and rapidity-ordered soft-quark configurations, leading to implicit integral equations, which so far have only been studied in the context of energetic muon-electron backward scattering. We find that the all-order structure of the double logarithms is governed by a novel type of coupled integral equations, which encode the non-trivial interplay between these two effects. Whereas a closed-form solution to these equations is currently unknown, we present useful iteration formulas, and derive the asymptotic behaviour of the soft-overlap form factor for infinitely large recoil energies, showing that the Sudakov suppression is somewhat weakened by the intertwined soft-quark and soft-gluon corrections. In a broader context, our findings shed light onto the physical origin and mathematical structure of endpoint divergences arising from soft-collinear factorization and the related Feynman mechanism for power-suppressed hard exclusive processes.

Rotation matters for the life of a star. It causes a multitude of dynamical phenomena in the stellar interior during a star's evolution, and its effects accumulate until the star dies. All stars rotate at some level, but most of those born with a mass higher than 1.3 times the mass of the Sun rotate rapidly during more than 90% of their nuclear lifetime. Internal rotation guides the angular momentum and chemical element transport throughout the stellar interior. These transport processes change over time as the star evolves. The cumulative effects of stellar rotation and its induced transport processes determine the helium content of the core by the time it exhausts its hydrogen isotopes. The amount of helium at that stage also guides the heavy element yields by the end of the star's life. A proper theory of stellar evolution and any realistic models for the chemical enrichment of galaxies must be based on observational calibrations of stellar rotation and of the induced transport processes. In the last few years, asteroseismology offers such calibrations for single and binary stars. We review the current status of asteroseismic modelling of rotating stars for different stellar mass regimes in an accessible way for the non-expert. While doing so, we describe exciting opportunities sparked by asteroseismology for various domains in astrophysics, touching upon topics such as exoplanetary science, galactic structure and evolution, and gravitational wave physics to mention just a few. Along the way we provide ample sneak-previews for future 'industrialised' applications of asteroseismology to slow and rapid rotators from the exploitation of combined Kepler, Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO), Gaia, and ground-based spectroscopic and multi-colour photometric surveys. We end the review with a list of takeaway messages and achievements of asteroseismology that are of relevance for many fields of astrophysics.

Estimates of seismic wave speeds in the Earth (seismic velocity models) are key input parameters to earthquake simulations for ground motion prediction. Owing to the non-uniqueness of the seismic inverse problem, typically many velocity models exist for any given region. The arbitrary choice of which velocity model to use in earthquake simulations impacts ground motion predictions. However, current hazard analysis methods do not account for this source of uncertainty. We present a proof-of-concept ground motion prediction workflow for incorporating uncertainties arising from inconsistencies between existing seismic velocity models. Our analysis is based on the probabilistic fusion of overlapping seismic velocity models using scalable Gaussian process (GP) regression. Specifically, we fit a GP to two synthetic 1-D velocity profiles simultaneously, and show that the predictive uncertainty accounts for the differences between the models. We subsequently draw velocity model samples from the predictive distribution and estimate peak ground displacement using acoustic wave propagation through the velocity models. The resulting distribution of possible ground motion amplitudes is much wider than would be predicted by simulating shaking using only the two input velocity models. This proof-of-concept illustrates the importance of probabilistic methods for physics-based seismic hazard analysis.

We derive a cutting rule for equal-time in-in correlators including cosmological correlators based on Keldysh r/a basis, which decomposes diagrams into fully retarded functions and cut-propagators consisting of Wightman functions. Our derivation relies only on basic assumptions such as unitarity, locality, and the causal structure of the in-in formalism, and therefore holds for theories with arbitrary particle contents and local interactions at any loop order. As an application, we show that non-local cosmological collider signals arise solely from cut-propagators under the assumption of microcausality. Since the cut-propagators do not contain (anti-)time-ordering theta functions, the conformal time integrals are factorized, simplifying practical calculations.

In modern collider experiments, the quest to explore fundamental interactions between elementary particles has reached unparalleled levels of precision. Signatures from particle physics detectors are low-level objects (such as energy depositions or tracks) encoding the physics of collisions (the final state particles of hard scattering interactions). The complete simulation of them in a detector is a computational and storage-intensive task. To address this computational bottleneck in particle physics, alternative approaches have been developed, introducing additional assumptions and trade off accuracy for speed. The field has seen a surge in interest in surrogate modeling the detector simulation, fueled by the advancements in deep generative models. These models aim to generate responses that are statistically identical to the observed data. In this paper, we conduct a comprehensive and exhaustive taxonomic review of the existing literature on the simulation of detector signatures from both methodological and application-wise perspectives. Initially, we formulate the problem of detector signature simulation and discuss its different variations that can be unified. Next, we classify the state-of-the-art methods into five distinct categories based on their underlying model architectures, summarizing their respective generation strategies. Finally, we shed light on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in detector signature simulation, setting the stage for future research and development.

Astrophysical turbulent flows display an intrinsically multi-scale nature, making their numerical simulation and the subsequent analyses of simulated data a complex problem. In particular, two fundamental steps in the study of turbulent velocity fields are the Helmholtz-Hodge decomposition (compressive+solenoidal; HHD) and the Reynolds decomposition (bulk+turbulent; RD). These problems are relatively simple to perform numerically for uniformly-sampled data, such as the one emerging from Eulerian, fix-grid simulations; but their computation is remarkably more complex in the case of non-uniformly sampled data, such as the one stemming from particle-based or meshless simulations. In this paper, we describe, implement and test vortex-p, a publicly available tool evolved from the vortex code, to perform both these decompositions upon the velocity fields of particle-based simulations, either from smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), moving-mesh or meshless codes. The algorithm relies on the creation of an ad-hoc adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) set of grids, on which the input velocity field is represented. HHD is then addressed by means of elliptic solvers, while for the RD we adapt an iterative, multi-scale filter. We perform a series of idealised tests to assess the accuracy, convergence and scaling of the code. Finally, we present some applications of the code to various SPH and meshless finite-mass (MFM) simulations of galaxy clusters performed with OpenGadget3, with different resolutions and physics, to showcase the capabilities of the code.

We present the Astrophysical Multimessenger Modeling (AM ³ ) software. AM ³ is a documented open-source software (source code at gitlab.desy.de/am3/am3; user guide and documentation at am3.readthedocs.io/en/latest/) that efficiently solves the coupled integro-differential equations describing the temporal evolution of the spectral densities of particles interacting in astrophysical environments, including photons, electrons, positrons, protons, neutrons, pions, muons, and neutrinos. The software has been extensively used to simulate the multiwavelength and neutrino emission from active galactic nuclei (including blazars), gamma-ray bursts, and tidal disruption events. The simulations include all relevant nonthermal processes, namely synchrotron emission, inverse Compton scattering, photon–photon annihilation, proton–proton and proton–photon pion production, and photo-pair production. The software self-consistently calculates the full cascade of primary and secondary particles, including nonlinear feedback processes and predictions in the time domain. It also allows the user to track separately the particle densities produced by means of each distinct interaction process, including the different hadronic channels. With its efficient hybrid solver combining analytical and numerical techniques, AM ³ combines efficiency and accuracy at a user-adjustable level. We describe the technical details of the numerical framework and present three examples of applications to different astrophysical environments.

We extend the evolution-mapping approach, introduced in the first paper of this series to describe non-linear matter density fluctuations, to statistics of the cosmic velocity field. This framework classifies cosmological parameters into shape parameters, which determine the shape of the linear matter power spectrum, <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0001" notation="LaTeX">$P_{\rm L}(k, z)$</tex-math></inline-formula>, and evolution parameters, which control its amplitude at any redshift. Evolution-mapping leverages the fact that density fluctuations in cosmologies with identical shape parameters but different evolution parameters exhibit similar non-linear evolutions when expressed as a function of clustering amplitude. We analyse a suite of N-body simulations sharing identical shape parameters but spanning a wide range of evolution parameters. Using a method for estimating the volume-weighted velocity field based on the Voronoi tessellation of simulation particles, we study the non-linear evolution of the velocity divergence power spectrum, <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0002" notation="LaTeX">$P_{\theta \theta }(k)$</tex-math></inline-formula>, and its cross-power spectrum with the density field, <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0003" notation="LaTeX">$P_{\delta \theta }(k)$</tex-math></inline-formula>. We demonstrate that the evolution-mapping relation applies accurately to <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0004" notation="LaTeX">$P_{\theta \theta }(k)$</tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0005" notation="LaTeX">$P_{\delta \theta }(k)$</tex-math></inline-formula>. While this breaks down in the strongly non-linear regime, deviations can be modelled in terms of differences in the suppression factor, <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0006" notation="LaTeX">$g(a) = D(a)/a$</tex-math></inline-formula>, similar to those for the density field. Such modelling describes the differences in <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0007" notation="LaTeX">$P_{\theta \theta }(k)$</tex-math></inline-formula> between models with the same linear clustering amplitude to better than 1 per cent accuracy at all scales and redshifts considered. Evolution-mapping simplifies the description of the cosmological dependence of non-linear density and velocity statistics, streamlining the sampling of large cosmological parameter spaces for cosmological analysis.

Very-metal-poor stars ([Fe/H] < ‑2) are important laboratories for testing stellar models and reconstructing the formation history of our galaxy. Asteroseismology is a powerful tool to probe stellar interiors and measure ages, but few asteroseismic detections are known in very-metal-poor stars and none have allowed detailed modeling of oscillation frequencies. We report the discovery of a low-luminosity Kepler red giant (KIC 8144907) with high signal-to-noise ratio oscillations, [Fe/H] = ‑2.66 ± 0.08 and [α/Fe] = 0.38 ± 0.06, making it by far the most metal-poor star to date for which detailed asteroseismic modeling is possible. By combining the oscillation spectrum from Kepler with high-resolution spectroscopy, we measure an asteroseismic mass and age of 0.79 ± 0.02(ran) ± 0.01(sys) M _⊙ and 12.0 ± 0.6(ran) ± 0.4(sys) Gyr, with remarkable agreement across different codes and input physics, demonstrating that stellar models and asteroseismology are reliable for very-metal-poor stars when individual frequencies are used. The results also provide a direct age anchor for the early formation of the Milky Way, implying that substantial star formation did not commence until redshift z ≈ 3 (if the star formed in situ) or that the Milky Way has undergone merger events for at least ≈12 Gyr (if the star was accreted by a dwarf satellite merger such as Gaia-Enceladus).

The high-precision measurements of exoplanet transit light curves that are now available contain information about the planet properties, their orbital parameters, and stellar limb darkening (LD). Recent 3D magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) simulations of stellar atmospheres have shown that LD depends on the photospheric magnetic field, and hence its precise determination can be used to estimate the field strength. Among existing LD laws, the uses of the simplest ones may lead to biased inferences, whereas the uses of complex laws typically lead to a large degeneracy among the LD parameters. We have developed a novel approach in which we use a complex LD model but with second derivative regularization during the fitting process. Regularization controls the complexity of the model appropriately and reduces the degeneracy among LD parameters, thus resulting in precise inferences. The tests on simulated data suggest that our inferences are not only precise but also accurate. This technique is used to re-analyse 43 transit light curves measured by the NASA Kepler and Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite missions. Comparisons of our LD inferences with the corresponding literature values show good agreement, while the precisions of our measurements are better by up to a factor of 2. We find that 1D non-magnetic model atmospheres fail to reproduce the observations while 3D MHD simulations are qualitatively consistent. The LD measurements, together with MHD simulations, confirm that Kepler-17, WASP-18, and KELT-24 have relatively high magnetic fields (<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0001" notation="LaTeX">$\gt 200$</tex-math></inline-formula> G). This study paves the way for estimating the stellar surface magnetic field using the LD measurements.

Aims. Our goal is twofold. First, to detect new clusters we apply the newest methods for the detection of clustering with the best available wide-field sky surveys in the mid-infrared because they are the least affected by extinction. Second, we address the question of cluster detection's completeness, for now limiting it to the most massive star clusters. Methods. This search is based on the mid-infrared Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE), to minimize the effect of dust extinction. The search Ordering Points To Identify the Clustering Structure (OPTICS) clustering algorithm is applied to identify clusters, after excluding the bluest, presumably foreground sources, to improve the cluster-to-field contrast. The success rate for cluster identification is estimated with a semi-empirical simulation that adds clusters, based on the real objects, to the point source catalog, to be recovered later with the same search algorithm that was used in the search for new cluster candidates. As a first step, this is limited to the most massive star clusters with a total mass of 104 $M_\odot$. Results. Our automated search, combined with inspection of the color-magnitude diagrams and images yielded 659 cluster candidates; 106 of these appear to have been previously identified, suggesting that a large hidden population of star clusters still exists in the inner Milky Way. However, the search for the simulated supermassive clusters achieves a recovery rate of 70 to 95%, depending on the distance and extinction toward them. Conclusions. The new candidates, if confirmed, indicate that the Milky Way still harbors a sizeable population of still unknown clusters. However, they must be objects of modest richness, because our simulation indicates that there is no substantial hidden population of supermassive clusters in the central region of our Galaxy.

Future cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments are primarily targeting a detection of the primordial $B$-mode polarisation. The faintness of this signal requires exquisite control of systematic effects which may bias the measurements. In this work, we derive requirements on the relative calibration accuracy of the overall polarisation gain ($\Delta g_\nu$) for LiteBIRD experiment, through the application of the blind Needlet Internal Linear Combination (NILC) foreground-cleaning method. We find that minimum variance techniques, as NILC, are less affected by gain calibration uncertainties than a parametric approach, which requires a proper modelling of these instrumental effects. The tightest constraints are obtained for frequency channels where the CMB signal is relatively brighter (166 GHz channel, $\Delta {g}_\nu \approx 0.16 \%$), while, with a parametric approach, the strictest requirements were on foreground-dominated channels. We then propagate gain calibration uncertainties, corresponding to the derived requirements, into all frequency channels simultaneously. We find that the overall impact on the estimated $r$ is lower than the required budget for LiteBIRD by almost a factor $5$. The adopted procedure to derive requirements assumes a simple Galactic model. We therefore assess the robustness of obtained results against more realistic scenarios by injecting the gain calibration uncertainties, according to the requirements, into LiteBIRD simulated maps and assuming intermediate- and high-complexity sky models. In this case, we employ the so-called Multi-Clustering NILC (MC-NILC) foreground-cleaning pipeline and obtain that the impact of gain calibration uncertainties on $r$ is lower than the LiteBIRD gain systematics budget for the intermediate-complexity sky model. For the high-complexity case, instead, it would be necessary to tighten the requirements by a factor $1.8$.

Strongly gravitationally lensed supernovae (LSNe) are promising probes for providing absolute distance measurements using gravitational-lens time delays. Spatially unresolved LSNe offer an opportunity to enhance the sample size for precision cosmology. We predict that there will be approximately three times as many unresolved as resolved LSNe Ia in the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) by the Rubin Observatory. In this article, we explore the feasibility of detecting unresolved LSNe Ia from a pool of preclassified SNe Ia light curves using the shape of the blended light curves with deep-learning techniques. We find that ∼30% unresolved LSNe Ia can be detected with a simple 1D convolutional neural network (CNN) using well-sampled rizy-band light curves (with a false-positive rate of ∼3%). Even when the light curve is well observed in only a single band among r, i, and z, detection is still possible with false-positive rates ranging from ∼4 to 7% depending on the band. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these unresolved cases can be detected at an early stage using light curves up to ∼20 days from the first observation with well-controlled false-positive rates, providing ample opportunity to trigger follow-up observations. Additionally, we demonstrate the feasibility of time-delay estimations using solely LSST-like data of unresolved light curves, particularly for doubles, when excluding systems with low time delays and magnification ratios. However, the abundance of such systems among those unresolved in LSST poses a significant challenge. This approach holds potential utility for upcoming wide-field surveys, and overall results could significantly improve with enhanced cadence and depth in the future surveys.

Context. A low-mass companion potentially in the brown dwarf mass regime was discovered on a ~12 yr orbit (~5.5 au) around HD 167665 using radial velocity (RV) monitoring. Joint RV–astrometry analyses confirmed that HD 167665B is a brown dwarf with precisions on the measured mass of ~4–9%. Brown dwarf companions with measured mass and luminosity are valuable for testing formation and evolutionary models. However, its atmospheric properties and luminosity are still unconstrained, preventing detailed tests of evolutionary models. Aims. We further characterize the HD 167665 system by measuring the luminosity and refining the mass of its companion and reassessing the stellar age. Methods. We present new high-contrast imaging data of the star and of its close-in environment from SPHERE and GRAVITY, which we combined with RV data from CORALIE and HIRES and astrometry from HIPPARCOS and Gaia. Results. The analysis of the host star properties indicates an age of 6.20 ± 1.13 Gyr. GRAVITY reveals a point source near the position predicted from a joint fit of RV data and HIPPARCOS–Gaia proper motion anomalies. Subsequent SPHERE imaging confirms the detection and reveals a faint point source of contrast of ∆H2 = 10.95 ± 0.33 mag at a projected angular separation of ~180 mas. A joint fit of the high-contrast imaging, RV, and HIPPARCOS intermediate astrometric data together with the Gaia astrometric parameters constrains the mass of HD 167665B to ~1.2%, 60.3 ± 0.7 M_J. The SPHERE colors and spectrum point to an early or mid-T brown dwarf of spectral type T4_‑2⁺¹. Fitting the SPHERE spectrophotometry and GRAVITY spectrum with synthetic spectra suggests an effective temperature of ~1000–1150 K, a surface gravity of ~5.0–5.4 dex, and a bolometric luminosity log(L/L_⊙)=‑4.892_‑0.028^+0.024 dex. The mass, luminosity, and age of the companion can only be reproduced within 3σ by the hybrid cloudy evolutionary models of Saumon & Marley (2008, ApJ, 689, 1327), whereas cloudless evolutionary models underpredict its luminosity.

The energy released by active galactic nuclei (AGN) has the potential to heat or remove the gas of the ISM, thus likely impacting the cold molecular gas reservoir of host galaxies at first, with star formation following as a consequence on longer timescales. Previous works on high-z galaxies, which compared the gas content of those without identified AGN, have yielded conflicting results, possibly due to selection biases and other systematics. To provide a reliable benchmark for galaxy evolution models at cosmic noon (z = 1 ‑ 3), two surveys were conceived: SUPER and KASHz, both targeting unbiased X-ray-selected AGN at z > 1 that span a wide bolometric luminosity range. In this paper we assess the effects of AGN feedback on the molecular gas content of host galaxies in a statistically robust, uniformly selected, coherently analyzed sample of AGN at z = 1 ‑ 2.6, drawn from the KASHz and SUPER surveys. By using targeted and archival ALMA data in combination with dedicated SED modeling, we retrieve CO and far-infrared (FIR) luminosity as well as M_* of SUPER and KASHz host galaxies. We selected non-active galaxies from PHIBBS, ASPECS, and multiple ALMA/NOEMA surveys of submillimeter galaxies in the COSMOS, UDS, and ECDF fields. By matching the samples in redshift, stellar mass, and FIR luminosity, we compared the properties of AGN and non-active galaxies within a Bayesian framework. We find that AGN hosts at given FIR luminosity are on average CO depleted compared to non-active galaxies, thus confirming what was previously found in the SUPER survey. Moreover, the molecular gas fraction distributions of AGN and non-active galaxies are statistically different, with the distribution of AGN being skewed to lower values. Our results indicate that AGN can indeed reduce the total cold molecular gas reservoir of their host galaxies. Lastly, by comparing our results with predictions from three cosmological simulations (TNG, Eagle, and Simba) filtered to match the properties of observed AGN, AGN hosts, and non-active galaxies, we confirm already known discrepancies and highlight new discrepancies between observations and simulations.

Jet observables at hadron colliders feature ''super-leading'' logarithms, double-logarithmic corrections resulting from a breakdown of color coherence due to complex phases in hard-scattering amplitudes. While these effects only arise in high orders of perturbation theory and are suppressed in the large-$N_c$ limit, they formally constitute leading logarithmic corrections to the cross sections. We present the first analysis of the corresponding contributions to a hadronic cross section, including all partonic channels and interference effects. Interestingly, some interference terms in partonic $q\bar q\to q\bar q$ scattering are only linearly suppressed in $1/N_c$. Our results for the $pp\to 2$ jets gap-between-jets cross section demonstrate the numerical importance of super-leading logarithms for small values of the veto scale $Q_0$, showing that these contributions should be accounted for in precision studies of such observables.

We present a machine learning search for high-redshift (5.0 < z < 6.5) quasars using the combined photometric data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Imaging Legacy Surveys and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer survey. We explore the imputation of missing values for high-redshift quasars, discuss the feature selections, compare different machine learning algorithms, and investigate the selections of class ensemble for the training sample, then we find that the random forest model is very effective in separating the high-redshift quasars from various contaminators. The 11 class random forest model can achieve a precision of 96.43% and a recall of 91.53% for high-redshift quasars for the test set. We demonstrate that the completeness of the high-redshift quasars can reach as high as 82.20%. The final catalog consists of 216,949 high-redshift quasar candidates with 476 high probable ones in the entire Legacy Surveys DR9 footprint, and we make the catalog publicly available. Using Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) and DESI early data release (EDR) public spectra, we find that 14 true high-redshift quasars (11 in the training sample) out of 21 candidates are correctly identified for MUSE, and 20 true high-redshift quasars (11 in the training sample) out of 21 candidates are correctly identified for DESI-EDR. Additionally, we estimate photometric redshift for the high-redshift quasar candidates using a random forest regression model with a high precision.

In this work we revisit the problem of the dynamical stability of hierarchical triple systems with applications to circumbinary planetary orbits. We derive critical semimajor axes based on simulating and analyzing the dynamical behavior of 3 × 10⁸ binary star–planet configurations. For the first time, three-dimensional and eccentric planetary orbits are considered. We explore systems with a variety of binary and planetary mass ratios, binary and planetary eccentricities from 0 to 0.9, and orbital mutual inclinations ranging from 0° to 180°. Planetary masses range between the size of Mercury and the lower fusion boundary (approximately 13 Jupiter masses). The stability of each system is monitored over 10⁶ planetary orbital periods. We provide empirical expressions in the form of multidimensional, parameterized fits for two borders that separate dynamically stable, unstable, and mixed zones. In addition, we offer a machine learning model trained on our data set as an alternative tool for predicting the stability of circumbinary planets. Both the empirical fits and the machine learning model are tested for their predictive capabilities against randomly generated circumbinary systems with very good results. The empirical formulae are also applied to the Kepler and TESS circumbinary systems, confirming that many planets orbit their host stars close to the stability limit of those systems. Finally, we present a REST application programming interface with a web-based application for convenient access to our simulation data set.

Context. The existence of axion quark nuggets is a potential consequence of the axion field, which provides a possible solution to the charge-conjugation parity violation in quantum chromodynamics. In addition to explaining the cosmological discrepancy of matter-antimatter asymmetry and a visible-to-dark-matter ratio of Ω_dark/Ω_visible ≃ 5, these composite compact objects are expected to represent a potentially ubiquitous electromagnetic background radiation by interacting with ordinary baryonic matter. We conducted an in-depth analysis of axion quark nugget-baryonic matter interactions in the environment of the intracluster medium in the constrained cosmological Simulation of the LOcal Web (SLOW). Aims. Here, we aim to provide upper limit predictions on electromagnetic counterparts of axion quark nuggets in the environment of galaxy clusters by inferring their thermal and non-thermal emission spectrum originating from axion quark nugget-cluster gas interactions. Methods. We analyzed the emission of axion quark nuggets in a large sample of 161 simulated galaxy clusters using the SLOW simulation. These clusters are divided into a sub-sample of 150 galaxy clusters, ordered in five mass bins ranging from 0.8 to 31.7 × 10¹⁴ M_⊙, along with 11 cross-identified galaxy clusters from observations. We investigated dark matter-baryonic matter interactions in galaxy clusters in their present stage at the redshift of z = 0 by assuming all dark matter consists of axion quark nuggets. The resulting electromagnetic signatures were compared to thermal Bremsstrahlung and non-thermal cosmic ray (CR) synchrotron emission in each galaxy cluster. We further investigated individual frequency bands imitating the observable range of the WMAP, Planck, Euclid, and XRISM telescopes for the most promising cross-identified galaxy clusters hosting detectable signatures of axion quark nugget emission. Results. We observed a positive excess in the low- and high-energy frequency windows, where thermal and non-thermal axion quark nugget emission can significantly contribute to (or even outshine) the emission of the intracluster medium (ICM) in frequencies up to ν_T ≲ 3842.19 GHz and ν_T ϵ [3.97, 10.99] × 10¹⁰GHz, respectively. Emission signatures of axion quark nuggets are found to be observable if CR synchrotron emission of individual clusters is sufficiently low. The degeneracy in the parameters contributing to an emission excess makes it challenging to offer predictions with respect to pinpointing specific regions of a positive axion quark nugget excess; however, a general increase in the total galaxy cluster emission is expected based on this dark matter model. Axion quark nuggets constitute an increment of 4.80% of the total galaxy cluster emission in the low-energy regime of ν_T ≲ 3842.19 GHz for a selection of cross-identified galaxy clusters. We propose that the Fornax and Virgo clusters represent the most promising candidates in the search for axion quark nugget emission signatures. Conclusions. The results from our simulations point towards the possibility of detecting an axion quark nugget excess in galaxy clusters in observations if their signatures can be sufficiently disentangled from the ICM radiation. While this model proposes a promising explanation for the composition of dark matter, with the potential to have this outcome verified by observations, we propose further changes that are aimed at refining our methods. Our ultimate goal is to identify the extracted electromagnetic counterparts of axion quark nuggets with even greater precision in the near future.

Confinement prohibits isolation of color charges, e.g., quarks, in nature via a process called string breaking: the separation of two charges results in an increase in the energy of a color flux, visualized as a string, connecting those charges. Eventually, creating additional charges is energetically favored, hence breaking the string. Such a phenomenon can be probed in simpler models, including quantum spin chains, enabling enhanced understanding of string-breaking dynamics. A challenging task is to understand how string breaking occurs as time elapses, in an out-of-equilibrium setting. This work establishes the phenomenology of dynamical string breaking induced by a gradual increase of string tension over time. It, thus, goes beyond instantaneous quench processes and enables tracking the real-time evolution of strings in a more controlled setting. We focus on domain-wall confinement in a family of quantum Ising chains. Our results indicate that, for sufficiently short strings and slow evolution, string breaking can be described by the transition dynamics of a two-state quantum system akin to a Landau-Zener process. For longer strings, a more intricate spatiotemporal pattern emerges: the string breaks by forming a superposition of bubbles (domains of flipped spins of varying sizes), which involve highly excited states. We finally demonstrate that string breaking driven only by quantum fluctuations can be realized in the presence of sufficiently long-ranged interactions. This work holds immediate relevance for studying string breaking in quantum-simulation experiments.

We present a full general relativistic analytic solution for a radiation-pressure-supported equilibrium fluid torus orbiting a rotating neutron star (NS). We applied previously developed analytical methods that include the effects of both the NS's angular momentum and quadrupole moment in the Hartle-Thorne geometry. The structure, size, and shape of the torus are explored, with a particular focus on the critically thick solution – the cusp tori. For the astrophysically relevant range of NS parameters, we examined how our findings differ from those obtained for the Schwarzschild space-time. The solutions for rotating stars display signatures of an interplay between relativistic and Newtonian effects where the impact of the NS angular momentum and quadrupole moment are almost counterbalanced at a given radius. Nevertheless, the space-time parameters still strongly influence the size of tori, which can be shown in a coordinate-independent way. Finally, we discuss the importance of the size of the central NS which determines whether or not a surrounding torus exists. We provide a set of tools in a Wolfram Mathematica code, which establishes a basis for further investigation of the impact of the NSs' super-dense matter equation of state on the spectral and temporal behaviour of accretion tori.

Context. Dust coagulation and fragmentation impact the structure and evolution of protoplanetary disks and set the initial conditions for planet formation. Dust grains dominate the opacities, they determine the cooling times of the gas via thermal accommodation in collisions, they influence the ionization state of the gas, and the available grain surface area is an important parameter for the chemistry in protoplanetary disks. Therefore, dust evolution is an effect that should not be ignored in numerical studies of protoplanetary disks. Available dust coagulation models are, however, too computationally expensive to be implemented in large-scale hydrodynamic simulations. This limits detailed numerical studies of protoplanetary disks, including these effects, mostly to one-dimensional models. Aims. We aim to develop a simple – yet accurate – dust coagulation model that can be easily implemented in hydrodynamic simulations of protoplanetary disks. Our model shall not significantly increase the computational cost of simulations and provide information about the local grain size distribution. Methods. The local dust size distributions are assumed to be truncated power laws. Such distributions can be fully characterized by only two dust fluids (large and small grains) and a maximum particle size, truncating the power law. We compare our model to state- of-the-art dust coagulation simulations and calibrate it to achieve a good fit with these sophisticated numerical methods. Results. Running various parameter studies, we achieved a good fit between our simplified three-parameter model and DustPy, a state-of-the-art dust coagulation software. Conclusions. We present TriPoD, a sub-grid dust coagulation model for the PLUTO code. With TriPoD, we can perform twodimensional, vertically integrated dust coagulation simulations on top of a hydrodynamic simulation. Studying the dust distributions in two-dimensional vortices and planet-disk systems is thus made possible.

Two decades ago the $\chi_{c1}\left(3872\right)$ was discovered in the hadron spectrum with two heavy quarks. The discovery fueled a surge in experimental research, uncovering dozens of so called XYZ exotics states lying outside the conventional quark model, as well as theoretical investigations into new forms of matter, such as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks, with the potential of disclosing new information about the fundamental strong force. Among the XYZs, the $\chi_{c1}\left(3872\right)$ and $T_{cc}^+\left(3875\right)$ stand out for their striking characteristics and unlashed many discussions about their nature. Here, we address this question using the Born--Oppenheimer Effective Field Theory (BOEFT) and show how QCD settles the issue of their composition. Not only we describe well the main features of the $\chi_{c1}\left(3872\right)$ and $T_{cc}^+\left(3875\right)$ but obtain also model independent predictions in the bottomonium sector. This opens the way to systematic applications of BOEFT to all XYZs.

Recent observations of volume-limited samples of magnetic white dwarfs (WD) have revealed a higher incidence of magnetism in older stars. Specifically, these studies indicate that magnetism is more prevalent in WDs with fully or partially crystallized cores than in those with entirely liquid cores. This has led to the recognition of a crystallization-driven dynamo as an important mechanism for explaining magnetism in isolated WDs. However, recent simulations have challenged the capability of this mechanism to generate surface magnetic fields with the typical strengths detected in WDs. In this Letter, we explore an alternative hypothesis for the surface emergence of magnetic fields in isolated WDs. Those with masses ≳0.55 M_⊙ are the descendants of main sequence stars with convective cores capable of generating strong dynamo magnetic fields. This idea is supported by asteroseismic evidence of strong magnetic fields buried within the interiors of red giant branch stars. Assuming that these fields are disrupted by subsequent convective zones, we estimated magnetic breakout times for WDs with carbon-oxygen (CO) cores and masses ranging from 0.57 M_⊙ to 1.3 M_⊙. Due to the significant uncertainties in breakout times stemming from the treatment of convective boundaries and mass-loss rates, we cannot provide a precise prediction for the emergence time of the main sequence dynamo field. However, we can predict that this emergence should occur during the WD phase for those objects with masses ≳0.65 M_⊙. We also find that the magnetic breakout is expected to occur earlier in more massive WDs, which is consistent with observations of volume-limited samples and the well-established fact that magnetic WDs tend to be more massive than non-magnetic ones. Moreover, within the uncertainties of stellar evolutionary models, we find that the emergence of main sequence dynamo magnetic fields can account for a significant portion of the magnetic WDs. Additionally, we estimated magnetic breakout times due to crystallization-driven dynamos in CO WDs; our results suggest that this mechanism cannot explain the majority of magnetic WDs.

Context. The formation and evolution of protoplanetary disks remains elusive. We have numerous astronomical observations of young stellar objects of different ages with their envelopes and/or disks. Moreover, in the last decade, there has been tremendous progress in numerical simulations of star and disk formation. New simulations use realistic equations of state for the gas and treat the interaction of matter and the magnetic field with the full set of nonideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations. However, it is still not fully clear how a disk forms and whether it happens from inside-out or outside-in. Open questions remain regarding where material is accreted onto the disk and comes from, how dust evolves in disks, and the timescales of appearance of disk's structures. These unknowns limit our understanding of how planetesimals and planets form and evolve. Aims. We attempted to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the protosolar disk, guided by the large amount of cosmochemical constraints derived from the study of meteorites, while using astronomical observations and numerical simulations as a guide to pinpointing plausible scenarios. Methods. Our approach is highly interdisciplinary and we do not present new observations or simulations in this work. Instead, we combine, in an original manner, a large number of published results concerning young stellar objects observations, and numerical simulations, along with the chemical, isotopic and petrological nature of meteorites. Results. We have achieved a plausible and coherent view of the evolution of the protosolar disk that is consistent with cosmochemical constraints and compatible with observations of other protoplanetary disks and sophisticated numerical simulations. The evidence that high-temperature condensates, namely, calcium-aluminum inclusions (CAIs) and amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs), formed near the protosun before being transported to the outer disk can be explained in two ways: there could have either been an early phase of vigorous radial spreading of the disk that occurred or fast transport of these condensates from the vicinity of the protosun toward large disk radii via the protostellar outflow. The assumption that the material accreted toward the end of the infall phase was isotopically distinct allows us to explain the observed dichotomy in nucleosynthetic isotopic anomalies of meteorites. It leads us toward intriguing predictions on the possible isotopic composition of refractory elements in comets. At a later time, when the infall of material waned, the disk started to evolve as an accretion disk. Initially, dust drifted inward, shrinking the radius of the dust component to ∼45 au, probably about to about half of the width of the gas component. Next, structures must have emerged, producing a series of pressure maxima in the disk, which trapped the dust on Myr timescales. This allowed planetesimals to form at radically distinct times without significantly changing any of the isotopic properties. We also conclude that there was no late accretion of material onto the disk via streamers. The disk disappeared at about 5 My, as indicated by paleomagnetic data in meteorites. Conclusions. The evolution of the protosolar disk seems to have been quite typical in terms of size, lifetime, and dust behavior. This suggests that the peculiarities of the Solar System with respect to extrasolar planetary systems probably originate from the chaotic nature of planet formation and not from the properties of the parental disk itself.

In recent years the amount of publicly available astronomical data has increased exponentially, with a remarkable example being large-scale multiepoch photometric surveys. This wealth of data poses challenges to the classical methodologies commonly employed in the study of variable objects. As a response, deep learning techniques are increasingly being explored to effectively classify, analyze, and interpret these large datasets. In this paper we use two-dimensional histograms to represent Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment phasefolded light curves as images. We use a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to classify variable objects within eight different categories (from now on labels): Classical Cepheid, RR Lyrae, Long Period Variable, Miras, Ellipsoidal Binary, Delta Scuti, Eclipsing Binary, and spurious class with Incorrect Periods (Rndm). We set up different training sets to train the same CNN architecture in order to characterize the impact of the training. The training sets were built from the same source of labels but different filters and balancing techniques were applied. Namely: Undersampling, Data Augmentation, and Batch Balancing (BB). The best performance was achieved with the BB approach and a training sample size of ~370 000 stars. Regarding computational performance, the image representation production rate is of ~76 images per core per second, and the time to predict is ~60 μs per star. The accuracy of the classification improves from ~92%, when based only on the CNN, to ~98% when the results of the CNN are combined with the period and amplitude features in a two step approach. This methodology achieves comparable results with previous studies but with two main advantages: the identification of miscalculated periods and the improvement in computational time cost.

Context. The Spektrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG)/extended Roentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array (eROSITA) All-Sky Survey (eRASS) is expected to contain ∼100 quasars that emitted their light when the universe was less than a billion years old, that is, at z > 5.6. By selection, these quasars populate the bright end of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) X-ray luminosity function, and their space density offers a powerful demographic diagnostic of the parent super-massive black hole (SMBH) population. Aims. Of the ⪆400 quasars that have been discovered at z > 5.6 to date, less than 15% have been X-ray detected. We present a pilot survey to uncover the elusive X-ray luminous end of the distant quasar population. Methods. We have designed a quasar selection pipeline based on optical, infrared and X-ray imaging data from DES DR2, VHS DR5, CatWISE2020 and the eRASS (up to its four-pass cumulative version, eRASS:4). The core selection method relies on SED template fitting. We performed optical follow-up spectroscopy with the Magellan/LDSS3 instrument for the redshift confirmation of a subset of candidates. We have further obtained a deeper X-ray image of one of our candidates with Chandra ACIS-S. Results. We report the discovery of five new quasars in the redshift range 5.6 < z < 6.1. Two of these quasars are detected in eRASS and are, therefore, X-ray ultra-luminous by selection. We also report the detection of these quasars at radio frequencies. The first one is a broad absorption line quasar, which shows significant, order-of-magnitude X-ray dimming over 3.5 years, corresponding to six months in the quasar rest frame. The second X-ray detected quasar is a jetted source with compact morphology. We show that a blazar configuration is likely for this source, making it one of the most distant blazars known to date. Conclusions. With our pilot study, we demonstrate the power of eROSITA as a discovery machine for luminous quasars in the epoch of reionization. The X-ray emission of the two eROSITA detected quasars are likely to be driven by different high-energetic emission mechanisms, a diversity which we will further explore in a future systematic full-hemisphere survey.

Context. Galaxy groups lying between galaxies and galaxy clusters in the mass spectrum of dark matter halos play a crucial role in the evolution and formation of the large-scale structure. Their shallower potential wells compared to clusters of galaxies make them excellent sources to constrain non-gravitational processes such as feedback from the central active galactic nuclei (AGN). Aims. We investigate the impact of feedback, particularly from AGN, on the entropy and characteristic temperature measurements of galaxy groups detected in the SRG/eROSITA's first All-Sky Survey (eRASS1) to shed light on the characteristics of the feedback mechanisms and help guide future AGN feedback implementations in numerical simulations. Methods. We analyzed the deeper eROSITA observations of 1178 galaxy groups detected in the eRASS1. We divided the sample into 271 subsamples based on their physical and statistical properties and extracted average thermodynamic properties, including the electron number density, temperature, and entropy, at three characteristic radii from cores to outskirts along with the integrated temperature by jointly analyzing X-ray images and spectra following a Bayesian approach. Results. We present the tightest constraints with unprecedented statistical precision on the impact of AGN feedback through our average entropy and characteristic temperature measurements of the largest group sample used in X-ray studies, incorporating major systematics in our analysis. We find that entropy shows an increasing trend with temperature in the form of a power-law-like relation at the higher intra-group medium (IGrM) temperatures, while for the low-mass groups with cooler (T < 1.44 keV) IGrM temperatures, a slight flattening is observed on the average entropy. Overall, the observed entropy measurements agree well with the earlier measurements in the literature. Additionally, comparisons with the state-of-the-art cosmological hydrodynamic simulations (MillenniumTNG, Magneticum, OWL) after applying the selection function calibrated for our galaxy groups reveal that observed entropy profiles in the cores are below the predictions of simulations. At the mid-region, the entropy measurements agree well with the Magneticum simulations, whereas the predictions of MillenniumTNG and OWL simulations fall below observations. At the outskirts, the overall agreement between the observations and simulations improves, with Magneticum simulations reproducing the observations the best. Conclusions. These measurements will pave the way for achieving more realistic AGN feedback implementations in numerical simulations. The future eROSITA Surveys will enable the extension of the entropy measurements in even cooler IGrM temperatures below 0. 5 keV, allowing for the testing of the AGN feedback models in this regime.

JWST observations of the young Galactic supernova remnant Cassiopeia A revealed an unexpected structure seen as a green emission feature in colored composite MIRI F1130W and F1280W images—hence dubbed the Green Monster—that stretches across the central parts of the remnant in projection. Combining the kinematic information from NIRSpec and the MIRI Medium Resolution Spectrograph with the multiwavelength imaging from NIRCam and MIRI, we associate the Green Monster with circumstellar material (CSM) that was lost during an asymmetric mass-loss phase. MIRI images are dominated by dust emission, but their spectra show emission lines from Ne, H, and Fe with low radial velocities indicative of a CSM nature. An X-ray analysis of this feature in a companion paper supports its CSM nature and detects significant blueshifting, thereby placing the Green Monster on the nearside, in front of the Cas A supernova remnant. The most striking features of the Green Monster are dozens of almost perfectly circular 1″–3″ sized holes, most likely created by interaction between high-velocity supernova ejecta material and the CSM. Further investigation is needed to understand whether these holes were formed by small 8000–10,500 km s^‑1 N-rich ejecta knots that penetrated and advanced out ahead of the remnant's 5000–6000 km s^‑1 outer blast wave or by narrow ejecta fingers that protrude into the forward-shocked CSM. The detection of the Green Monster provides further evidence of the highly asymmetric mass loss that Cas A's progenitor star underwent prior to its explosion.

We evaluate the three-loop five-point pentagon-box-box massless integral family in the dimensional regularization scheme, via canonical differential equation. We use tools from computational algebraic geometry to enable the necessary integral reductions. The boundary values of the differential equation are determined analytically in the Euclidean region. To express the final result, we introduce a new representation of weight six functions in terms of one-fold integrals over the product of weight-three functions with weight-two kernels that are derived from the differential equation. Our work paves the way to the analytic computation of three-loop multi-leg Feynman integrals.

The ongoing discrepancy in the Hubble constant ($H_0$) estimates obtained through local distance ladder methods and early universe observations poses a significant challenge to the $\Lambda$CDM model, suggesting potential new physics. Type II supernovae (SNe II) offer a promising technique for determining $H_0$ in the local universe independently of the traditional distance ladder approach, opening up a complimentary path for testing this discrepancy. We aim to provide the first $H_0$ estimate using the tailored expanding photosphere method (EPM) applied to SNe II, made possible by recent advancements in spectral modelling that enhance its precision and efficiency. Our tailored EPM measurement utilizes a spectral emulator to interpolate between radiative transfer models calculated with TARDIS, allowing us to fit supernova spectra efficiently and derive self-consistent values for luminosity-related parameters. We apply the method on public data for ten SNe II at redshifts between 0.01 and 0.04. Our analysis demonstrates that the tailored EPM allows for $H_0$ measurements with precision comparable to the most competitive established techniques, even when applied to literature data not designed for cosmological applications. We find an independent $H_0$ value of $74.9\pm1.9$ (stat) km/s/Mpc, which is consistent with most current local measurements. Considering dominant sources of systematic effects, we conclude that our systematic uncertainty is comparable to or less than the current statistical uncertainty. This proof-of-principle study highlights the potential of the tailored EPM as a robust and precise tool for investigating the Hubble tension independently of the local distance ladder. Observations of SNe II tailored to $H_0$ estimation can make this an even more powerful tool by improving the precision and by allowing us to better understand and control systematic uncertainties.

The impact of viscosity in the intracluster medium (ICM) is still an open question in astrophysics. To address this problem, we have run a set of cosmological simulations of three galaxy clusters with a mass larger than M _Vir > 10¹⁵ M _⊙ at z = 0 using the smoothed particle magnetohydrodynamics-code OPENGADGET3. We aim to quantify the influence of viscosity and constrain its value in the ICM. Our results show significant morphological differences at small scales, temperature variations, and density fluctuations induced by viscosity. We observe a suppression of instabilities at small scales, resulting in a more filamentary structure and a larger amount of small structures due to the lack of mixing with the medium. The conversion of kinetic to internal energy leads to an increase of the virial temperature of the cluster of ∼5%–10%, while the denser regions remain cold. The amplitude of density and velocity fluctuations are found to increase with viscosity. However, comparison with observational data indicates that the simulations, regardless of the viscosity, match the observed slope of the amplitude of density fluctuations, challenging the direct constraint of viscosity solely through density fluctuations. Furthermore, the ratio of density to velocity fluctuations remains close to 1 regardless of the amount of viscosity, in agreement with the theoretical expectations. Our results show for the first time in a cosmological simulation of a galaxy cluster the effect of viscosity in the ICM, a study that is currently missing in the literature.

We compute the photon self-energy to three loops in Quantum Electrodynamics. The method of differential equations for Feynman integrals and a complete $\epsilon$-factorization of the former allow us to obtain fully analytical results in terms of iterated integrals involving integration kernels related to a K3 geometry. We argue that our basis has the right properties to be a natural generalization of a canonical basis beyond the polylogarithmic case and we show that many of the kernels appearing in the differential equations, cancel out in the final result to finite order in $\epsilon$. We further provide generalized series expansions that cover the whole kinematic space so that our results for the self-energy may be easily evaluated numerically for all values of the momentum squared. From the local solution at $p^2=0$, we extract the photon wave function renormalization constant in the on-shell scheme to three loops and confirm its agreement with previously obtained results.

Forward modeling the galaxy density within the Effective Field Theory of Large Scale Structure (EFT of LSS) enables field-level analyses that are robust to theoretical uncertainties. At the same time, they can maximize the constraining power from galaxy clustering on the scales amenable to perturbation theory. In order to apply the method to galaxy surveys, the forward model must account for the full observational complexity of the data. In this context, a major challenge is the inclusion of redshift space distortions (RSDs) from the peculiar motion of galaxies. Here, we present improvements in the efficiency and accuracy of the RSD modeling in the perturbative LEFTfield forward model. We perform a detailed quantification of the perturbative and numerical error for the prediction of momentum, velocity and the redshift-space matter density. Further, we test the recovery of cosmological parameters at the field level, namely the growth rate $f$, from simulated halos in redshift space. For a rigorous test and to scan through a wide range of analysis choices, we fix the linear (initial) density field to the known ground truth but marginalize over all unknown bias coefficients and noise amplitudes. With a third-order model for gravity and bias, our results yield $<1\,\%$ statistical and $<1.5\,\%$ systematic error. The computational cost of the redshift-space forward model is only $\sim 1.5$ times of the rest frame equivalent, enabling future field-level inference that simultaneously targets cosmological parameters and the initial matter distribution.

In the past, researchers have mostly relied on single-resolution images from individual telescopes to detect gravitational lenses. We propose a search for galaxy-scale lenses that, for the first time, combines high-resolution single-band images (in our case the Hubble Space Telescope, HST) with lower-resolution multi-band images (in our case Legacy survey, LS) using machine learning. This methodology aims to simulate the operational strategies that will be employed by future missions, such as combining the images of Euclid and the Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST). To compensate for the scarcity of lensed galaxy images for network training, we have generated mock lenses by superimposing arc features onto HST images, saved the lens parameters, and replicated the lens system in the LS images. We test four architectures based on ResNet-18: (1) using single-band HST images, (2) using three bands of LS images, (3) stacking these images after interpolating the LS images to HST pixel scale for simultaneous processing, and (4) merging a ResNet branch of HST with a ResNet branch of LS before the fully connected layer. We compare these architecture performances by creating Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves for each model and comparing their output scores. At a false-positive rate of $10^{-4}$, the true-positive rate is $\sim$0.41, $\sim$0.45, $\sim$0.51 and $\sim$0.55, for HST, LS, stacked images and merged branches, respectively. Our results demonstrate that models integrating images from both the HST and LS significantly enhance the detection of galaxy-scale lenses compared to models relying on data from a single instrument. These results show the potential benefits of using both Euclid and LSST images, as wide-field imaging surveys are expected to discover approximately 100,000 lenses.

The stellar disc is the dominant luminous component of the Milky Way (MW). Although our understanding of its structure is rapidly expanding due to advances in large-scale stellar surveys, our picture of the MW disc remains substantially obscured by selection functions and incomplete spatial coverage of observational data. In this work, we present the comprehensive chrono-chemo-kinematic structure of the MW disc, recovered using a novel orbit superposition approach combined with data from APOGEE DR 17. We detect periodic azimuthal metallicity variations within 6-8 kpc with an amplitude of 0.05-0.1 dex peaking along the bar major axis. The radial metallicity profile of the MW also varies with azimuth, displaying a pattern typical among other disc galaxies: a decline outside the solar radius and an almost flat profile in the inner region, attributed to the presence of old, metal-poor high-{\alpha} populations, which comprise about 40% of the total stellar mass. The geometrically defined thick disc and the high-{\alpha} populations have comparable masses, with differences in their stellar population content, which we quantify using the reconstructed 3D MW structure. The well-known [{\alpha}/Fe]-bimodality in the MW disc, once weighted by stellar mass, is less pronounced at a given metallicity for the whole galaxy but distinctly visible in a narrow range of galactic radii (5-9 kpc), explaining its relative lack of prominence in external galaxies and galaxy formation simulations. Analysing a more evident double age-abundance sequence, we construct a scenario for the MW disc formation, advocating for an inner/outer disc dichotomy genetically linked to the MW's evolutionary stages. In this picture, the extended solar vicinity is a transition zone that shares chemical properties of both the inner (old age-metallicity sequence) and outer discs (young age-metallicity sequence).

A dense neutrino gas exhibiting angular crossings in the electron lepton number is unstable and develops fast flavor conversions. Instead of assuming an unstable configuration from the onset, we imagine that the system is externally driven toward instability. We use the simplest model of two neutrino beams initially of different flavor that either suddenly appear or one or both slowly build up. Flavor conversions commence well before the putative unstable state is fully attained, and the final outcome depends on how the system is driven. The system generally sticks to the closest state that is linearly stable, a conclusion that we prove for the first time using quasilinear theory. Our results suggest that in an astrophysical setting, one should focus less on flavor instabilities in the neutrino radiation field and more on the external dynamics that leads to the formation of the unstable state.

We report the discovery of the first example of an Einstein zig-zag lens, an extremely rare lensing configuration. In this system, J1721+8842, six images of the same background quasar are formed by two intervening galaxies, one at redshift z₁ = 0.184 and a second one at z₂ = 1.885. Two out of the six multiple images are deflected in opposite directions as they pass the first lens galaxy on one side, and the second on the other side -- the optical paths forming zig-zags between the two deflectors. In this letter, we demonstrate that J1721+8842, previously thought to be a lensed dual quasar, is in fact a compound lens with the more distant lens galaxy also being distorted as an arc by the foreground galaxy. Evidence supporting this unusual lensing scenario includes: 1- identical light curves in all six lensed quasar images obtained from two years of monitoring at the Nordic Optical Telescope; 2- detection of the additional deflector at redshift z₂ = 1.885 in JWST/NIRSpec IFU data; and 3- a multiple-plane lens model reproducing the observed image positions. This unique configuration offers the opportunity to combine two major lensing cosmological probes: time-delay cosmography and dual source-plane lensing since J1721+8842 features multiple lensed sources forming two distinct Einstein radii of different sizes, one of which being a variable quasar. We expect tight constraints on the Hubble constant and the equation of state of dark energy by combining these two probes on the same system. The z₂=1.885 deflector, a quiescent galaxy, is also the highest-redshift strong galaxy-scale lens with a spectroscopic redshift measurement.

Using the decomposition of the D-dimensional space-time into parallel and perpendicular subspaces, we study and prove a connection between Landau and leading singularities for N-point one-loop Feynman integrals by applying the multidimensional theory of residues. We show that if <inline-formula id="IEq1"><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>D</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mi>N</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula id="IEq2"><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>D</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mi>N</mml:mi><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula>, the leading singularity corresponds to the inverse of the square root of the leading Landau singularity of the first and second type, respectively. We make use of this outcome to systematically provide differential equations of Feynman integrals in canonical forms and the extension of the connection of these singularities at the multi-loop level by exploiting the loop-by-loop approach. Illustrative examples with the calculation of Landau and leading singularities are provided to supplement our results.

We compute the electron self-energy in Quantum Electrodynamics to three loops in terms of iterated integrals over kernels of elliptic type. We make use of the differential equations method, augmented by an ϵ-factorized basis, which allows us to gain full control over the differential forms appearing in the iterated integrals to all orders in the dimensional regulator. We obtain compact analytic expressions, for which we provide generalized series expansion representations that allow us to evaluate the result numerically for all values of the electron momentum squared. As a by-product, we also obtain ϵ-resummed results for the self-energy in the on-shell limit p² = m², which we use to recompute the known three-loop renormalization constants in the on-shell scheme.

We investigate the formation of bound states of non-relativistic dark matter particles subject to long-range interactions through radiative capture. The initial scattering and final bound states are described by Coulomb potentials with different strengths, as relevant for non-abelian gauge interactions or theories featuring charged scalars. For bound states with generic quantum numbers $n$ and $\ell$, we provide closed-form expressions for the bound-state formation (BSF) cross sections of monopole, dipole and quadrupole transitions, and of arbitrary multipole order when $\ell=n-1$. This allows us to investigate in detail a strong enhancement of BSF that occurs for initial states in a repulsive potential. For $\ell=n-1\gg 1$, we show that the BSF cross section for each single bound state violates the perturbative unitarity bound in the vicinity of a certain critical initial velocity, and provide an interpretation in terms of a smooth matching of classical trajectories. When summing the BSF cross section over all possible bound states in the final state, this leads to a unitarity violation below a certain velocity, but within the validity range of the weakly coupled non-relativistic description. We identify an effectively strong interaction as the origin of this unitarity violation, which is caused by an "anomalously" large overlap of scattering and bound-state wave functions in Coulomb potentials of different strength.

We compute the tree-level current for the emission of two soft quark-antiquark pairs in a hard scattering. We also compute the square of this current and discuss the resulting color correlations, featuring dipole correlations and three-parton correlations. This object is essential for analyzing the infrared singularities at next-to-next-to-next-to-next-to-leading-order (N4LO) predictions in perturbative QCD.

In this paper, the first in a series, we present a new theoretical model for the global structure and dissipation of relativistically magnetized collisionless shock waves. Quite remarkably, we find that in contrast to unmagnetized shocks, energy dissipation does not involve collective plasma interactions. Rather, it is a consequence of nonlinear particle dynamics. We demonstrate that the kinetic-scale shock transition can be modeled as a stationary system consisting of a large set of cold beams coupled through the magnetic field. The fundamental mechanism governing shock dissipation relies on the onset of chaos in orbital dynamics within quasiperiodic solitonic structures. We discuss the impact of upstream temperature and magnetization on the shock profile, recovering the magnetic field compression, downstream velocities, and heating expected from the Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions. We deduce a rate of entropy generation from the spectrum of Lyapunov exponents and discuss the thermalization of the beam distribution. Our model provides a general framework to study magnetized collisionless shock structures.

We perform the first dedicated comparison of five hadronic codes (AM$^3$, ATHE$\nu$A, B13, LeHa-Paris, and LeHaMoC) that have been extensively used in modeling of 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 black-body 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 $\pm 40\%$. This value should be used as an additional, conservative, systematic uncertainty term when comparing numerical simulations and observations.

We propose a novel approach to the detection of point-like sources of high-energy neutrinos. Motivated by evidence for emerging sources in existing data, we focus on the characterization and interpretation of these sources rather than the rejection of the background-only hypothesis. The hierarchical Bayesian model is implemented in the Stan platform, enabling computation of the posterior distribution with a Hamiltonian Monte Carlo algorithm. We simulate a population of weak neutrino sources detected by the IceCube experiment and use the resulting data set to demonstrate and validate our framework. We show that even for the challenging case of sources at the threshold of detection and using limited prior information, it is possible to correctly infer the source properties. Additionally, we demonstrate how modeling flexible connections between similar sources can be used to recover the contribution of sources that would not be detectable individually. While a direct comparison of our method to existing approaches is challenged by the fundamental differences in frequentist and Bayesian frameworks, we draw parallels where possible. In particular, we highlight how including more complexity into the source modeling can increase the sensitivity to sources and their populations.

The four characteristic oscillation frequencies of accretion flows (in addition to the Keplerian orbital frequency) are often discussed in the context of the time variability of black hole and neutron star (NS) low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs). These four frequencies are the frequencies of the axisymmetric radial and vertical epicyclic oscillations, and the frequencies of non-axisymmetric oscillations corresponding to the periastron (radial) and Lense-Thirring (vertical) precessions. In this context, we investigated the effect of the quadrupole moment of a slowly rotating NS and provide complete formulae for calculating these oscillation and precession frequencies, as well as convenient approximations. Simple formulae corresponding to the geodesic limit of a slender torus (and test-particle motion) and the limit of a marginally overflowing torus (a torus exhibiting a critical cusp) are presented, and more general approximate formulae are included to allow calculations for arbitrarily thick tori. We provide the Wolfram Mathematica code used for our calculations together with the C++ and PYTHON codes for calculating the frequencies. Our formulae can be used for various calculations regarding the astrophysical signatures of the NS super-dense matter equation of state. For instance, we demonstrate that even for a given fixed number of free parameters, a model that accounts for fluid flow precession matches the frequencies of twin-peak quasiperiodic oscillations observed in NS LMXBs better than a model that uses geodesic precession.

Context. Early-type stars have convective cores due to a steep temperature gradient produced by the CNO cycle. These cores can host dynamos and the generated magnetic fields may be relevant in explaining the magnetism observed in Ap/Bp stars. Aims. Our main objective is to characterise the convective core dynamos and differential rotation. We aim to carry out the first quantitative analysis of the relation between magnetic activity cycle and rotation period. Methods. We used numerical 3D star-in-a-box simulations of a 2.2 M_⊙ A-type star with a convective core of roughly 20% of the stellar radius surrounded by a radiative envelope. We explored rotation rates from 8 to 20 days and used two models of the whole star, along with an additional zoom set where 50% of the radius was retained. Results. The simulations produce hemispheric core dynamos with cycles and typical magnetic field strengths around 60 kG. However, only a very small fraction of the magnetic energy is able to reach the surface. The cores have solar-like differential rotation and a substantial part of the radiative envelope has a quasi-rigid rotation. In the most rapidly rotating cases, the magnetic energy in the core is roughly 40% of the kinetic energy. Finally, we find that the magnetic cycle period, P_cyc, increases with decreasing the rotation period, P_rot, which has also been observed in many simulations of solar-type stars. Conclusions. Our simulations indicate that a strong hemispherical core dynamo arises routinely, but that it is not enough the explain the surface magnetism of Ap/Bp stars. Nevertheless, since the core dynamo produces dynamically relevant magnetic fields, it should not be neglected even when other mechanisms are being explored.

In this work, we compute the rates and numbers of different types of stars and phenomena (supernovae, novae, white dwarfs, merging neutron stars, black holes) that contributed to the chemical composition of the Solar System. During the Big Bang, only light elements formed, while all the heavy ones, from carbon to uranium and beyond, have since been created inside stars. Stars die and release the newly formed elements into the interstellar gas. This process is called 'chemical evolution'. In particular, we analyse the death rates of stars of all masses, whether they die quiescently or explosively. These rates and total star numbers are computed in the context of a revised version of the two-infall model for the chemical evolution of the Milky Way, which reproduces the observed abundance patterns of several chemical species, the global solar metallicity, and the current gas, stellar, and total surface mass densities relatively well. We also compute the total number of stars ever born and still alive as well as the number of stars born up to the formation of the Solar System with mass and metallicity like those of the Sun. This latter number accounts for all the possible existing Solar systems that can host life in the solar vicinity. We conclude that, among all the stars (from 0.8 to 100 M_⊙) that were born and died from the Big Bang up until the Solar System formation epoch and that contributed to its chemical composition, 93.00% were stars that died as single white dwarfs (without interacting significantly with a companion star) and originated in the mass range of 0.8–8 M_⊙, while 5.24% were neutron stars and 0.73% were black holes, both originating from core-collapse supernovae (M > 8 M_⊙); 0.64% were Type Ia supernovae and 0.40% were nova systems, both originating from the same mass range as the white dwarfs. The number of stars similar to the Sun born from the Big Bang up until the formation of the Solar System, with metallicity in the range 12+log(Fe/H)= 7.50 ± 0.04 dex, is ~31•10⁷, and in particular our Sun is the ~2.61• 10⁷-th star of this kind.

In this work we present the study of <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> scattering processes using femtoscopic correlation functions. This observable has been recently used to access the low-energy interaction of hadrons emitted in the final state of high-energy collisions, delivering unprecedented precision information of the interaction among strange hadrons. The formalism for particle pairs is well established and it relates the measured correlation functions with the scattering wave function and the emission source. In the present work we analyze the <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>N</mml:mi><mml:mi>N</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> scattering in free space and relate the corresponding wave function to the <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> correlation measurement performed by the ALICE collaboration. The three-body problem is solved using the hyperspherical adiabatic basis. Regarding the <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> interactions, different models are used and their impact on the correlation function is studied. The three-body force considered in this work is anchored to describe the binding energy of the hypertriton and to give a good description of the two four-body hypernuclei. As a main result we have observed a huge, low-energy peak in the <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mi>p</mml:mi><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Λ</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> correlation function, mainly produced by the <inline-formula><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:msup><mml:mi>J</mml:mi><mml:mi>π</mml:mi></mml:msup><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:msup><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mo>+</mml:mo></mml:msup></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> three-body state. The study of this peak from an experimental as well as a theoretical point of view will provide important constraints to the two- and three-body interactions.

We introduce a novel orbit superposition method designed to reconstruct the stellar density structure, kinematics, and chemical abundance distribution of the entire Milky Way by leveraging 6D phase-space information from its resolved stellar populations, limited by the spatial coverage of APOGEE DR17.

Using CaWO₄ crystals as cryogenic calorimeters, the CRESST experiment searches for nuclear recoils caused by the scattering of potential Dark Matter particles. A reliable identification of a potential signal crucially depends on an accurate background model. In this work, we introduce an improved normalisation method for CRESST's model of electromagnetic backgrounds, which is an important technical step towards developing a more accurate background model. Spectral templates based on Geant4 simulations are normalised via a Bayesian likelihood fit to experimental background data. Contrary to our previous work, no explicit assumption of partial secular equilibrium is required a priori, which results in a more robust and versatile applicability. This new method also naturally considers the correlation between all background components. Due to these purely technical improvements, the presented method has the potential to explain up to 82.7 % of the experimental background within [1 keV,40 keV], an improvement of at most 18.6 % compared to our previous method. The actual value is subject to ongoing validations of the included physics.

The Euclid mission, designed to map the geometry of the dark Universe, presents an unprecedented opportunity for advancing our understanding of the cosmos through its photometric galaxy cluster survey. Central to this endeavor is the accurate calibration of the mass- and redshift-dependent halo bias (HB), which is the focus of this paper. Our aim is to enhance the precision of HB predictions, which is crucial for deriving cosmological constraints from the clustering of galaxy clusters. Our study is based on the peak-background split (PBS) model linked to the halo mass function (HMF), and it extends it with a parametric correction to precisely align with results from an extended set of N-body simulations carried out with the OpenGADGET3 code. Employing simulations with fixed and paired initial conditions, we meticulously analyzed the matter-halo cross-spectrum and modeled its covariance using a large number of mock catalogs generated with Lagrangian perturbation theory simulations with the PINOCCHIO code. This ensures a comprehensive understanding of the uncertainties in our HB calibration. Our findings indicate that the calibrated HB model is remarkably resilient against changes in cosmological parameters, including those involving massive neutrinos. The robustness and adaptability of our calibrated HB model provide an important contribution to the cosmological exploitation of the cluster surveys to be provided by the Euclid mission. This study highlights the necessity of continuously refining the calibration of cosmological tools such as the HB to match the advancing quality of observational data. As we project the impact of our calibrated model on cosmological constraints, we find that given the sensitivity of the Euclid survey, a miscalibration of the HB could introduce biases in cluster cosmology analysis. Our work fills this critical gap, ensuring the HB calibration matches the expected precision of the Euclid survey.

The existence of quantum many-body scars, which prevents thermalization from certain initial states after a long time, has been established across different quantum many-body systems. These include gauge theories corresponding to spin-<inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> quantum link models. Establishing quantum scars in gauge theories with high spin is not accessible with existing numerical methods, which rely on exact diagonalization. We systematically identify scars for pure gauge theories with arbitrarily large integer spin <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mi>S</mml:mi></mml:math></inline-formula> in <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">D</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula>, where the electric field is restricted to <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mi>S</mml:mi><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:math></inline-formula> states per link. Through an explicit analytic construction, we show that the presence of scars is widespread in <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mo>+</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">D</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula> gauge theories for arbitrary integer spin. We confirm these findings numerically for small truncated spin and <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mi>S</mml:mi><mml:mo>=</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:math></inline-formula> quantum link models. Our analytic construction establishes the presence of scars far beyond volumes and spins that can be probed with existing numerical methods and can guide quantum simulation experiments toward interesting nonequilibrium phenomena, inaccessible otherwise.

We perform a thorough investigation of the universality of the long distance matrix elements (LDMEs) of nonrelativistic QCD factorization based on a next-to-leading order (NLO) fit of $J/\psi$ color octet (CO) LDMEs to high transverse momentum $p_T$ $J/\psi$ and $\eta_c$ production data at the LHC. We thereby apply a novel fit-and-predict procedure to systematically take into account scale variations, and predict various observables never studied in this context before. In particular, the LDMEs can well describe $J/\psi$ hadroproduction up to the highest measured values of $p_T$, as well as $\Upsilon(nS)$ production via potential NRQCD based relations. Furthermore, $J/\psi$ production in $\gamma \gamma$ and $\gamma p$ collisions is surprisingly reproduced down to $p_T=1$ GeV, as long as the region of large inelasticity $z$ is excluded, which may be of significance in future quarkonium studies, in particular at the EIC and the high-luminosity LHC. In addition, our summary reveals an interesting pattern as to which observables still evade a consistent description.

We combine the theory of Cartan-Tanaka prolongations with the Molien-Weyl integral formula and Hilbert-Poincaré series to compute the Spencer cohomology groups of the $D=11$ Poincaré superalgebra $\mathfrak p$, relevant for superspace formulations of $11$-dimensional supergravity in terms of nonholonomic superstructures. This includes novel fermionic Spencer groups, providing with new cohomology classes of $\mathbb Z$-grading $1$ and form number $2$. Using the Hilbert-Poincaré series and the Euler characteristic, we also explore Spencer cohomology contributions in higher form numbers. We then propose a new general definition of filtered deformations of graded Lie superalgebras along first-order fermionic directions and investigate such deformations of $\mathfrak p$ that are maximally supersymmetric. In particular, we establish a no-go type theorem for maximally supersymmetric filtered subdeformations of $\mathfrak p$ along timelike (i.e., generic) first-order fermionic directions.

The dispersion measure (DM) of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is sensitive to the electron distribution in the Universe, making it a promising probe of cosmology and astrophysical processes such as baryonic feedback. However, cosmological analyses of FRBs require knowledge of the contribution to the observed DM coming from the FRB host. The size and distribution of this contribution is still uncertain, thus significantly limiting current cosmological FRB analyses. In this study, we extend the baryonification (BCM) approach to derive a physically-motivated, analytic model for predicting the host contribution to FRB DMs. By focusing on the statistical properties of FRB host DMs, we find that our simple model is able to reproduce the probability distribution function (PDF) of host halo DMs measured from the CAMELS suite of hydrodynamic simulations, as well as their mass- and redshift dependence. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our model allows for self-consistent predictions of the host DM PDF and the matter power spectrum suppression due to baryonic effects, as observed in these simulations, making it promising for modelling host-DM-related systematics in FRB analyses. In general, we find that the shape of the host DM PDF is determined by the interplay between the FRB and gas distributions in halos. Our findings indicate that more compact FRB profiles require shallower gas profiles (and vice versa) in order to match the observed DM distributions in hydrodynamic simulations. Furthermore, the analytic model presented here shows that the shape of the host DM PDF is highly sensitive to the parameters of the BCM. This suggests that this observable could be used as an interesting test bed for baryonic processes, complementing other probes due to its sensitivity to feedback on galactic scales. We further discuss the main limitations of our analysis, and point out potential avenues for future work.

Radioactive nuclei with lifetimes on the order of millions of years can reveal the formation history of the Sun and active nucleosynthesis occurring at the time and place of its birth^1,2. Among such nuclei whose decay signatures are found in the oldest meteorites, ²⁰⁵Pb is a powerful example, as it is produced exclusively by slow neutron captures (the s process), with most being synthesized in asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars^{3, 4–5}. However, making accurate abundance predictions for ²⁰⁵Pb has so far been impossible because the weak decay rates of ²⁰⁵Pb and ²⁰⁵Tl are very uncertain at stellar temperatures^6,7. To constrain these decay rates, we measured for the first time the bound-state β^‑ decay of fully ionized ²⁰⁵Tl⁸¹⁺, an exotic decay mode that only occurs in highly charged ions. The measured half-life is 4.7 times longer than the previous theoretical estimate⁸ and our 10% experimental uncertainty has eliminated the main nuclear-physics limitation. With new, experimentally backed decay rates, we used AGB stellar models to calculate ²⁰⁵Pb yields. Propagating those yields with basic galactic chemical evolution (GCE) and comparing with the ²⁰⁵Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratio from meteorites^{9, 10–11}, we determined the isolation time of solar material inside its parent molecular cloud. We find positive isolation times that are consistent with the other s-process short-lived radioactive nuclei found in the early Solar System. Our results reaffirm the site of the Sun's birth as a long-lived, giant molecular cloud and support the use of the ²⁰⁵Pb–²⁰⁵Tl decay system as a chronometer in the early Solar System.

The discovery of XYZ exotic states in the hadronic sector with two heavy quarks represents a significant challenge in particle theory. Understanding and predicting their nature remains an open problem. In this work, we demonstrate how the Born-Oppenheimer (BO) effective field theory (BOEFT), derived from quantum chromodynamics (QCD) on the basis of scale separation and symmetries, can address XYZ exotics of any composition. We derive the Schrödinger coupled equations that describe hybrids, tetraquarks, pentaquarks, doubly heavy baryons, and quarkonia at leading order, incorporating nonadiabatic terms, and present the predicted multiplets. We define the static potentials in terms of the QCD static energies for all relevant cases. We provide the precise form of the nonperturbative low-energy gauge-invariant correlators required for the BOEFT: static energies, generalized Wilson loops, gluelumps, and adjoint mesons. These are to be calculated on the lattice, and we calculate here their short-distance behavior. Furthermore, we outline how spin-dependent corrections and mixing terms can be incorporated using matching computations. Lastly, we discuss how static energies with the same BO quantum numbers mix at large distances leading to the phenomenon of avoided level crossing. This effect is crucial to understand the emergence of exotics with molecular characteristics, such as the <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mrow><mml:mi>χ</mml:mi></mml:mrow><mml:mrow><mml:mi>c</mml:mi><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:msub><mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo><mml:mn>3872</mml:mn><mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:math></inline-formula>. With BOEFT both the tetraquark and the molecular picture appear as part of the same description.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has detected substructures in numerous protoplanetary disks at radii from a few to over 100 au. These substructures are commonly thought to be associated with planet formation, either by serving as sites fostering planetesimal formation or by arising as a consequence of planet–disk interactions. Our current understanding of substructures, though, is primarily based on observations of nearby star-forming regions with mild UV environments, whereas stars are typically born in much harsher UV environments, which may inhibit planet formation in the outer disk through external photoevaporation. We present high-resolution (∼8 au) ALMA 1.3 mm continuum images of eight disks in σ Orionis, a cluster irradiated by an O9.5 star. Gaps and rings are resolved in the images of five disks. The most striking of these is SO 1274, which features five gaps that appear to be arranged nearly in a resonant chain. In addition, we infer the presence of gap or shoulder-like structures in the other three disks through visibility modeling. These observations indicate that substructures robustly form and survive at semimajor axes of several tens of au or less in disks exposed to intermediate levels of external UV radiation as well as in compact disks. However, our observations also suggest that disks in σ Orionis are mostly small, and thus millimeter continuum gaps beyond a disk radius of 50 au are rare in this region, possibly due to either external photoevaporation or age effects.

Very compact (<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0001" notation="LaTeX">$R_\mathrm{e}\lesssim 1$</tex-math></inline-formula> kpc) massive quiescent galaxies (red nuggets) are more abundant in the high-redshift Universe (<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0002" notation="LaTeX">$z\sim 2$</tex-math></inline-formula>-3) than today. Their size evolution can be explained by collisionless dynamical processes in galaxy mergers which, however, fail to reproduce the diffuse low-density central cores in the local massive early-type galaxies (ETGs). We use sequences of major and minor merger N-body simulations starting with compact spherical and disc-like progenitor models to investigate the impact of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) on the evolution of the galaxies. With the KETJU code we accurately follow the collisional interaction of the SMBHs with the nearby stellar population and the collisionless evolution of the galaxies and their dark matter haloes. We show that only models including SMBHs can simultaneously explain the formation of low-density cores up to sizes of <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0003" notation="LaTeX">$R_\mathrm{b} \sim 1.3$</tex-math></inline-formula> kpc with mass deficits in the observed range and the rapid half-mass size evolution. In addition, the orbital structure in the core region (tangentially biased orbits) is consistent with observation-based results for local cored ETGs. The displacement of stars by the SMBHs boost the half-mass size evolution by up to a factor of 2 and even fast rotating progenitors (compact quiescent discs) lose their rotational support after 6-8 mergers. We conclude that the presence of SMBHs is required for merger-driven evolution models of high-redshift red nuggets into local ETGs.

Estimates of the frequency of planetary systems in the Milky Way are observationally limited by the low-mass planet regime. Nevertheless, substantial evidence for systems with undetectably low planetary masses now exists in the form of main-sequence stars that host debris discs, as well as metal-polluted white dwarfs. Further, low-mass sections of star formation regions impose upper bounds on protoplanetary disc masses, limiting the capacity for terrestrial or larger planets to form. Here, we use planetary population synthesis calculations to investigate the conditions that allow planetary systems to form only minor planets and smaller detritus. We simulate the accretional, collisional, and migratory growth of <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0001" notation="LaTeX">$10^{17}$</tex-math></inline-formula> kg embryonic seeds and then quantify which configurations with entirely sub-Earth-mass bodies (<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0002" notation="LaTeX">$\lesssim\!\! 10^{24}$</tex-math></inline-formula> kg) survive. We find that substantial regions of the initial parameter space allow for sub-terrestrial configurations to form, with the success rate most closely tied to the initial dust mass. Total dust mass budgets of up to <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0003" notation="LaTeX">$10^2 \ \mathrm{ M}_{\oplus }$</tex-math></inline-formula> within 10 au can be insufficiently high to form terrestrial or giant planets, resulting in systems with only minor planets. Consequently, the prevalence of planetary systems throughout the Milky Way might be higher than what is typically assumed, and minor planet-only systems may help inform the currently uncertain correspondence between planet-hosting white dwarfs and metal-polluted white dwarfs.

A possible extension of the Standard Model able to explain the recent measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon consists in adding a gauged <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mi>U</mml:mi><mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:msub><mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mi>L</mml:mi><mml:mi>μ</mml:mi></mml:msub><mml:mo>-</mml:mo><mml:msub><mml:mi>L</mml:mi><mml:mi>τ</mml:mi></mml:msub></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:math></inline-formula> symmetry. If the dark matter particle is charged under this symmetry, then the kinetic mixing between the new gauge boson and the photon induces dark matter-electron interactions. We derive direct detection constraints on light dark matter charged under a <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mi>U</mml:mi><mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:msub><mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo><mml:mrow><mml:msub><mml:mi>L</mml:mi><mml:mi>μ</mml:mi></mml:msub><mml:mo>-</mml:mo><mml:msub><mml:mi>L</mml:mi><mml:mi>τ</mml:mi></mml:msub></mml:mrow></mml:msub></mml:math></inline-formula> symmetry with electron recoil experiments and explore prospects with XLZD and OSCURA to close in the parameter space able to explain simultaneously the recent measurement on the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon and the observed relic density of dark matter. We further discuss the spin-dependent scattering contribution arising in this model, which was ignored previously in the literature.

We study the decay of a heavy CP-even neutral Higgs into an on-shell Standard Model-like Higgs boson and two photons, $H\to h\gamma\gamma$, in the two-Higgs doublet model. We argue that the decay channel $H\to h\gamma\gamma$, followed by the decay of the Standard Model Higgs $h\rightarrow b\bar b$, could be observed at the 5$\sigma$ level at the High-Luminosity LHC for masses of the heavy Higgs up to 900 GeV for the type-II, 500 GeV for the Lepton Specific and the Flipped 2HDMs, and at 3 sigmas for the type-I, for masses up to 600 GeV. We also discuss the possible role of the decay $H\to h\gamma\gamma$ in discriminating among 2HDMs.

The Higgs boson decay into bottom quarks is the dominant decay channel contributing to its total decay width, which can be used to measure the bottom quark Yukawa coupling and mass. This decay width has been computed up to $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s^4)$ for the process induced by the bottom quark Yukawa coupling, assuming massless final states, and the corresponding corrections beyond $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s^2)$ are found to be less than $0.2\%$. We present an analytical result for the decay into massive bottom quarks at $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s^3)$ that includes the contribution from the top quark Yukawa coupling induced process. We have made use of the optical theorem, canonical differential equations and the regular basis in the calculation and expressed the result in terms of multiple polylogarithms and elliptic functions. We propose a systematic and unified procedure to derive the $\epsilon$-factorized differential equation for the three-loop kite integral family, which includes the three-loop banana integrals as a sub-sector. We find that the $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s^3)$ corrections increase the decay width, relative to the result up to $\mathcal{O}(\alpha_s^2)$, by $1\%$ due to the large logarithms $\log^i (m_H^2/m_b^2)$ with $ 1\le i \le 4 $ in the small bottom quark mass limit. The coefficient of the double logarithms is proportional to $C_A-C_F$, which is the typical color structure in the resummation of soft quark contributions at subleading power.

In this work we propose a simple algebraic recursion for the complete one-loop integrands of $N$-graviton correlators. This formula automatically yields the correct symmetry factors of individual diagrams, taking into account both the graviton and the ghost loop, and seamlessly controlling the related combinatorics.

We calculate the renormalization group equation (RGE) of the lepton-number-violating Weinberg operator with the particle content of the Standard Model (SM), thus completing the set of two-loop RGEs of the SM effective field theory up to dimension 5. We identify new diagrams that could increase the rank of the Wilson coefficient of the Weinberg operator, and we calculate the complete two-loop RGE for the neutrino mass eigenvalues and leptonic mixing matrix. We also briefly discuss some phenomenological implications of the RGEs.

Division is crucial for replicating biological compartments and, by extension, a fundamental aspect of life. Current studies highlight the importance of simple vesicular structures in prebiotic conditions, yet the mechanisms behind their self-division remain poorly understood. Recent research suggests that environmental factors can induce phase transitions in fatty acid-based protocells, leading to vesicle fission. However, using chemical energy to induce vesicle division, similar to the extant of life, has been less explored. This study investigates a mechanism of vesicle division by membrane budding driven by chemical energy without complex molecular machinery. We demonstrate that, in response to chemical fuel, simple fatty acid-based vesicles can bud off smaller daughter vesicles. The division mechanism is finely controlled by adjusting fuel concentration, offering valuable insights into primitive cellular dynamics. We showcase the robustness of self-division across different fatty acids, retaining encapsulated materials during division and suggesting protocell-like behavior. These results underscore the potential for chemical energy to drive autonomous replication in protocell models, highlighting a plausible pathway for the emergence of life. Furthermore, this study contributes to the development of synthetic cells, enhancing our understanding of the minimal requirements for cellular life and providing a foundation for future research in synthetic biology and the origins of life.

In this contribution, we aim to summarise the efforts of the Italian SKA scientific community in conducting surveys of star-forming regions within our Galaxy, in the development of astrochemical research on protostellar envelopes and disks, and in studying the planet formation process itself. The objective is dual: Firstly, to investigate the accumulation and development of dust throughout the formation of planets, and secondly, to chemically examine protoplanetary disks and protostellar envelopes by studying heavy molecules, such as chains and rings containing over seven carbon atoms, which exhibit significantly reduced strength at millimeter wavelengths.

How does molecular complexity emerge and evolve during the process leading to the formation of a planetary system? Astrochemistry is experiencing a golden age, marked by significant advancements in the observation and understanding of the chemical processes occurring in the inner regions of protostellar systems. However, many questions remain open, such as the origin of the chemical diversity observed in the early evolutionary stages, which may influence the chemical composition of the forming planets. Additionally, astrochemistry provides us with powerful tools to investigate the accretion/ejection processes occurring in the inner regions of young embedded objects, such as jets, winds, accretion streamers, and shocks. In this chapter, we review the observational efforts carried out in recent years to chemically characterize the inner regions of Solar-System analogs. We summarize our current understanding of molecular complexity in planet-forming disks and shed light on the existing limitations and unanswered questions. Finally, we highlight the important role of future radio facilities, like SKAO and ngVLA, in exploring the chemical complexity of the regions where planetary systems are emerging.

We consider the production of a pair of heavy quarks $Q\bar{Q}$ in association with a generic colour singlet system $V$ at lepton colliders, and present the first analytic calculation of the two-loop soft function differential in the total momentum of the real radiation. The calculation is performed by reducing the relevant Feynman integrals into a canonical basis of master integrals by means of integration-by-parts identities. The resulting integrals are then evaluated by solving a system of differential equations in the kinematic invariants, whose boundary conditions are determined analytically with some care due to the presence of Coulomb singularities. The fully differential soft function is expressed in terms of Goncharov polylogarithms. This result is an essential ingredient for a range of N$^3$LL resummations for key collider observables at lepton colliders, such as the $Q\bar{Q}V$ production cross section at threshold and observables sensitive to the total transverse momentum of the radiation in heavy-quark final states. Moreover, it constitutes the complete final-final dipole contribution to the fully differential soft function needed for the description of $Q\bar{Q}V$ production at hadron colliders, which plays an important role in the LHC physics programme.

We present a novel realization of leptogenesis from the decays of sterile (right-handed) neutrinos (RHNs) produced from runaway bubble collisions at a first order phase transition. Such configurations can produce heavy RHNs with mass many orders of magnitude above the scale of symmetry breaking as well as the temperature of the plasma, thereby enabling high scale leptogenesis without the need for high reheat temperatures while also naturally suppressing washout effects. This mechanism is also efficient for RHN masses ≳ 10¹⁴ GeV, the natural scale for type-I seesaw with

We transform the one-loop four-point type I open superstring gluon amplitude to correlation functions on the celestial sphere including both the (non-)orientable planar and non-planar sector. This requires a Mellin transform with respect to the energies of the scattered strings, as well as to integrate over the open-string worldsheet moduli space. After accomplishing the former we obtain celestial string integrands with remaining worldsheet integrals Ψ(β), where β is related to the conformal scaling dimensions of the conformal primary operators under consideration. Employing an alternative approach of performing an α′-expansion of the open superstring amplitude first and Mellin transforming afterwards, we obtain a fully integrated expression, capturing the pole structure in the β-plane. The same analysis is performed at tree-level yielding similar results. We conclude by solving Ψ(β) for specific values of β, consistently reproducing the results of the α′-expansion ansatz. In all approaches we find that the dependence on α′ reduces to that of a simple overall factor of (α′)β−3 at loop and (α′)β at tree level, consistent with previous literature.

Protoplanetary discs, as the birthplaces and nurseries of planets, are crucial to understanding planet formation. Disc winds and planet-disc interactions are fundamental mechanisms shaping the structure and evolution of protoplanetary discs and the planets within them. Massive planets can influence their discs by creating substructures such as gaps and spiral density waves, significantly impacting the dynamics of gas and dust within the disc. Winds can strip material from the disc, eventually dispersing it and setting an upper limit on both its lifetime and the timeframe available for planet formation. Despite their importance, the detailed mechanisms driving these winds – particularly the roles of thermal and magnetic processes at various locations and evolutionary stages – remain poorly constrained. This thesis investigates the intricate interplay between a thermal disc wind launched by X-ray photoevaporation and the substructures produced by giant planets. While previous detailed studies examined these processes separately, this work integrates them into one comprehensive model to investigate their interactions. Additional focus is put on producing synthetic observations of atomic forbidden emission lines in several disc wind models that can be compared to observational data and help constrain the launching conditions of disc winds. [...]

In single-field inflation, violation of the slow-roll approximation can lead to growth of curvature perturbation outside the horizon. This violation is characterized by a period with a large negative value of the second slow-roll parameter. At an early time, inflation must satisfy the slow-roll approximation, so the large-scale curvature perturbation can explain the cosmic microwave background fluctuations. At intermediate time, it is viable to have a theory that violates the slow-roll approximation, which implies amplification of the curvature perturbation on small scales. Specifically, we consider ultraslow-roll inflation as the intermediate period. At late time, inflation should go back to the slow roll period so that it can end. This means that there are two transitions of the second slow-roll parameter. In this paper, we compare two different possibilities for the second transition: sharp and smooth transitions. Focusing on effects generated by the relevant cubic self-interaction of the curvature perturbation, we find that the bispectrum and one-loop correction to the power spectrum due to the change of the second slow-roll parameter vanish if and only if the Mukhanov-Sasaki equation for perturbation satisfies a specific condition called Wands duality. We also find in the case of sharp transition that, even though this duality is satisfied in the ultraslow-roll and slow-roll phases, it is severely violated at the transition so that the resultant one-loop correction is extremely large inversely proportional to the duration of the transition.

We identify a new production channel for QCD axions in supernova environments that contributes to axion emissivity for all models solving the strong CP problem. This channel arises at tree-level from a shift-symmetry-breaking operator constructed at next-to-leading order in Chiral Perturbation Theory. In scenarios where model-dependent derivative couplings to nucleons are absent, this sets the strongest model-independent constraint on the axion mass, improving on existing bounds by two orders of magnitude.

Baryonification algorithms model the impact of galaxy formation and feedback on the matter field in gravity-only simulations by adopting physically motivated parametric prescriptions. In this paper, we extend these models to describe gas temperature and pressure, allowing for a self-consistent modelling of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, weak gravitational lensing, and their cross-correlation, down to small scales. We validate our approach by showing that it can simultaneously reproduce the electron pressure, gas, stellar, and dark matter power spectra as measured in all BAHAMAS hydrodynamical simulations. Specifically, with only two additional free parameters, we can fit the electron pressure auto- and cross-power spectra at 10% while reproducing the suppression in the matter power spectrum induced by baryons at the per cent level, for different active galactic nuclei (AGN) feedback strengths in BAHAMAS. Furthermore, we reproduce BAHAMAS convergence and thermal Sunyaev Zel'dovich angular power spectra within 1% and 10% accuracy, respectively, down to ℓ = 5000. When used jointly with cosmological rescaling algorithms, the baryonification presented here allows for a fast and accurate exploration of cosmological and astrophysical scenarios. Therefore, it can be employed to create mock catalogues, lightcones, and large training sets for emulators aimed at interpreting forthcoming multi-wavelength observations of the large-scale structure of the Universe.

Tentative observations of cosmic-ray antihelium by the AMS-02 collaboration have re-energized the quest to use antinuclei to search for physics beyond the standard model. However, our transition to a data-driven era requires more accurate models of the expected astrophysical antinuclei fluxes. We use a state-of-the-art cosmic-ray propagation model, fit to high-precision antiproton and cosmic-ray nuclei (B, Be, Li) data, to constrain the antinuclei flux from both astrophysical and dark matter annihilation models. We show that astrophysical sources are capable of producing

We investigate ultra-high frequency gravitational waves (GWs) from gravitons generated during inflationary reheating. Specifically, we study inflaton scattering with its decay product, where the couplings involved in this 2 → 2 scattering are the same as those in the 1 → 3 graviton Bremsstrahlung process. We compute the graviton production rate via such 2 → 2 scattering. Additionally, we compare the resulting GW spectrum with that from Bremsstrahlung as well as that from pure 2 → 2 inflaton scatterings. For completeness, the GW spectrum from graviton pair production through one-loop induced 1 → 2 inflaton decay is also analyzed. With a systematic comparison among the four sources of GWs, we find that 2 → 2 inflaton scattering with its decay product can dominate over Bremsstrahlung if the reheating temperature is larger than the inflaton mass. Pure inflaton 2 → 2 scattering is typically subdominant compared to Bremsstrahlung except in the high-frequency tail. The contribution from one-loop induced 1 → 2 inflaton decay is shown to be suppressed compared to Bremsstrahlung and pure inflaton 2 → 2 scattering.

We present a flow-based generative approach to emulate grids of stellar evolutionary models. By interpreting the input parameters and output properties of these models as multidimensional probability distributions, we train conditional normalizing flows to learn and predict the complex relationships between grid inputs and outputs in the form of conditional joint distributions. Leveraging the expressive power and versatility of these flows, we showcase their ability to emulate a variety of evolutionary tracks and isochrones across a continuous range of input parameters. In addition, we describe a simple Bayesian approach for estimating stellar parameters using these flows and demonstrate its application to asteroseismic data sets of red giants observed by the Kepler mission. By applying this approach to red giants in open clusters NGC 6791 and NGC 6819, we illustrate how large age uncertainties can arise when fitting only to global asteroseismic and spectroscopic parameters without prior information on initial helium abundances and mixing length parameter values. We also conduct inference using the flow at a large scale by determining revised estimates of masses and radii for 15,388 field red giants. These estimates show improved agreement with results from existing grid-based modeling, reveal distinct population-level features in the red clump, and suggest that the masses of Kepler red giants previously determined using the corrected asteroseismic scaling relations have been overestimated by 5%–10%.

The renormalization group equations for large-scale structure (RG-LSS) describe how the bias and stochastic (noise) parameters — both of matter and biased tracers such as galaxies — evolve as a function of the cutoff Λ of the effective field theory. In previous work, we derived the RG-LSS equations for the bias parameters using the Wilson-Polchinski framework. Here, we extend these results to include stochastic contributions, corresponding to terms in the effective action that are higher order in the current J. We derive the general local interaction terms that describe stochasticity at all orders in perturbations, and a closed set of nonlinear RG equations for their coefficients. These imply that a single nonlinear bias term generates all stochastic moments through RG evolution. Further, the evolution is controlled by a different, lower scale than the nonlinear scale. This has implications for the optimal choice of the renormalization scale when comparing the theory with data to obtain cosmological constraints.

In prior studies, a very minimal Yukawa sector within the SO(10) Grand Unified Theory framework has been identified, comprising of Higgs fields belonging to a real 10_H, a real 120_H, and a <inline-formula id="IEq1"><mml:math display="inline"><mml:msub><mml:mover accent="true"><mml:mn>126</mml:mn><mml:mo stretchy="true">¯</mml:mo></mml:mover><mml:mi>H</mml:mi></mml:msub></mml:math></inline-formula> dimensional representations. In this work, within this minimal framework, we have obtained fits to fermion masses and mixings while successfully reproducing the cosmological baryon asymmetry via leptogenesis. The right-handed neutrino (N_i) mass spectrum obtained from the fit is strongly hierarchical, suggesting that B ‑ L asymmetry is dominantly produced from N₂ dynamics while N₁ is responsible for erasing the excess asymmetry. With this rather constrained Yukawa sector, fits are obtained both for normal and inverted ordered neutrino mass spectra, consistent with leptonic CP-violating phase δ_CP indicated by global fits of neutrino oscillation data, while also satisfying the current limits from neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. In particular, the leptonic CP-violating phase has a preference to be in the range δ_CP ≃ (230 – 300)°. We also show the consistency of the framework with gauge coupling unification and proton lifetime limits.

We investigate the possibility of disentangling different new physics contributions to the rare meson decays and through kinematic distributions in the missing energy . We employ dimension-6 operators within the Low-Energy Effective Field Theory (LEFT), identifying the invisible part of the final state as either active or sterile neutrinos. Special emphasis is given to lepton-number violating (LNV) operators with scalar and tensor currents. We show analytically that contributions from vector, scalar, and tensor quark currents can be uniquely determined from experimental data of kinematic distributions. In addition, we present new correlations of branching ratios for K and B-decays involving scalar and tensor currents. As there could a priori also be new invisible particles in the final states, we include dark-sector operators giving rise to two dark scalars, fermions, or vectors in the final state. In this context, we present new calculations of the inclusive decay rate for dark operators. We show that careful measurements of kinematic distributions make it theoretically possible to disentangle the contribution from LEFT operators from most of the dark-sector operators, even when multiple operators are contributing. We revisit sum rules for vector currents in LEFT and show that the latter are also satisfied in some new dark-physics scenarios that could mimic LEFT. Finally, we point out that an excess in rare meson decays consistent with a LNV hypothesis would point towards highly flavor non-democratic physics in the UV, and could put high-scale leptogenesis under tension.

The precision measurement of the tritium $\beta$-decay spectrum performed by the KATRIN experiment provides a unique way to search for general neutrino interactions (GNI). All theoretical allowed GNI terms involving neutrinos are incorporated into a low-energy effective field theory, and can be identified by specific signatures in the measured tritium $\beta$-spectrum. In this paper an effective description of the impact of GNI on the $\beta$-spectrum is formulated and the first constraints on the effective GNI parameters are derived based on the 4 Mio. electrons collected in the second measurement campaign of KATRIN in 2019. In addition, constraints on selected types of interactions are investigated, thereby exploring the potential of KATRIN to search for more specific new physics cases, including a right-handed W boson, a charged Higgs or leptoquarks.

In high energy physics, the ability to reconstruct particles based on their detector signatures is essential for downstream data analyses. A particle reconstruction algorithm based on learning hypergraphs (HGPflow) has previously been explored in the context of single jets. In this paper, we expand the scope to full proton-proton and electron-positron collision events and study reconstruction quality using metrics at the particle, jet, and event levels. Rather than operating on the entire event in a single pass, we train HGPflow on smaller partitions to avoid potentially learning long-range correlations related to the physics process. We demonstrate that this approach is feasible and that on most metrics, HGPflow outperforms both traditional particle flow algorithms and a machine learning-based benchmark model.

Because Venus is completely shrouded by clouds, they play an important role in the planet's atmospheric dynamics. Studying the various morphological features observed on satellite imagery of the Venusian clouds is crucial to understanding not only the dynamic atmospheric processes, but also interactions between the planet's surface structures and atmosphere. While attempts at manually categorizing and classifying these features have been made many times throughout Venus' observational history, they have been limited in scope and prone to subjective bias. We therefore present and investigate an automated, objective, and scalable approach for their classification using unsupervised machine learning that can leverage full datasets of past, ongoing, and future missions. To achieve this, we introduce a novel framework to generate nadir observation patches of Venus' clouds at fixed consistent scales from satellite imagery data of the Venus Express and Akatsuki missions. Such patches are then divided into classes using an unsupervised machine learning approach that consists of encoding the patch images into feature vectors via a convolutional neural network trained on the patch datasets and subsequently clustering the obtained embeddings using hierarchical agglomerative clustering. We find that our approach demonstrates considerable accuracy when tested against a curated benchmark dataset of Earth cloud categories, is able to identify meaningful classes for global-scale (3000km) cloud features on Venus and can detect small-scale (25km) wave patterns. However, at medium scales (<mml:math altimg="si1.svg" display="inline" id="d1e1226"><mml:mo>∼</mml:mo></mml:math>500km) challenges are encountered, as available resolution and distinctive features start to diminish and blended features complicate the separation of well defined clusters.

Emergent cooperative functionality in active matter systems plays a crucial role in various applications of active swarms, ranging from pollutant foraging and collective threat detection to tissue embolization. In nature, animals like bats and whales use acoustic signals to communicate and enhance their evolutionary competitiveness. Here, we show that information exchange by acoustic waves between active agents creates a large variety of multifunctional structures. In our realization of collective swarms, each unit is equipped with an acoustic emitter and a detector. The swarmers respond to the resulting acoustic field by adjusting their emission frequency and migrating toward the strongest signal. We find self-organized structures with different morphology, including snake-like self-propelled entities, localized aggregates, and spinning rings. These collective swarms exhibit emergent functionalities, such as phenotype robustness, collective decision-making, and environmental sensing. For instance, the collectives show self-regeneration after strong distortion, allowing them to penetrate through narrow constrictions. Additionally, they exhibit a population-scale perception of reflecting objects and a collective response to acoustic control inputs. Our results provide insights into fundamental organization mechanisms in information-exchanging swarms. They may inspire design principles for technical implementations in the form of acoustically or electromagnetically communicating microrobotic swarms capable of performing complex tasks and concerting collective responses to external cues.

Context. Cosmic filaments are observationally hard to detect. However, hydrodynamical cosmological simulations are ideal laboratories where the evolution of the cosmic web can be studied, and they allow for easier insight into the nature of the filaments. Aims. We investigate how the intrinsic properties of filaments are evolving in areas extracted from a larger cosmological simulation. We aim to identify significant trends in the properties of the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM) and suggest possible explanations. Methods. To study the filaments and their contents, we selected a subset of regions from the Dianoga simulation. We analysed these regions that were simulated with different baryon physics, namely with and without AGN feedback. We constructed the cosmic web using the subspace constrained mean shift (SCMS) algorithm and the sequential chain algorithm for resolving filaments (SCARF). We examined the basic physical properties of filaments (length, shape, mass, radius) and analysed different gas phases (hot, WHIM, and colder gas components) within those structures. The evolution of the global filament properties and the properties of the gas phases were studied in the redshift range 0 < z < 1.48. Results. Within our simulations, the detected filaments have, on average, lengths below 9 Mpc. The filaments' shape correlates with their length, as the longer they are, the more likely they are curved. We find that the scaling relation between mass M and length L of the filaments is well described by the power law M ∞ L^1.7. The radial density profile widens with redshift, meaning that the radius of the filaments becomes larger over time. The fraction of gas mass in the WHIM phase does not depend on the model and rises towards lower redshifts. However, the included baryon physics has a strong impact on the metallicity of gas in filaments, indicating that the AGN feedback impacts the metal content already at redshifts of z ~ 2.

Given a supermanifold equipped with an odd distribution of maximal dimension and constant symbol, we construct the formal moduli problem of deformations of the distribution. This moduli problem is described by a local super dg Lie algebra that provides both a resolution of the structure-preserving vector fields on superspace and a derived enhancement of superconformal symmetry. Applying our construction in standard physical examples returns the conformal supergravity multiplet in every known example, in any dimension and with any amount of supersymmetry$\unicode{x2014}$whether or not a superconformal algebra exists. We discuss new examples related to twisted supergravity, higher Virasoro algebras, and exceptional super Lie algebras. The compatibility of our techniques with twisting also leads to a computation of every twist of the stress tensor multiplet of a superconformal theory, including universal operator product expansions. Our approach uses a derived model for the space of functions constant along the distribution, which is applicable even when the distribution is non-involutive; we construct other natural multiplets, such as Kähler differentials, that appear naturally through this lens on superspace geometry.

Increasing evidence shows that warped disks are common, challenging the methods used to model their velocity fields. Molecular line emission of these disks is characterized by a twisted pattern, similar to the signal from radial flows, complicating the study of warped disk kinematics. Previous attempts to model these features have encountered difficulties in distinguishing between the underlying kinematics of different disks. This study aims to advance gas kinematics modeling capabilities by extending the Extracting Disk Dynamics ($\texttt{eddy}$) package to include warped geometries and radial flows. We assess the performance of $\texttt{eddy}$ in recovering input parameters for scenarios involving warps, radial flows, and combinations of the two. Additionally, we provide a basis to break the visual degeneracy between warped disks and radial flow, establishing a criterion to distinguish them. We extended the $\texttt{eddy}$ package to handle warped geometries by including a parametric prescription of a warped disk and a ray-casting algorithm to account for the surface self-obscuration arising from the 3D to 2D projection. The effectiveness of the tool was tested using the radiative transfer code $\texttt{RADMC3D}$, generating synthetic models for disks with radial flows, warped disks, and warped disks with radial flows. We demonstrate the efficacy of our tool in accurately recovering the geometrical parameters of systems, particularly in data with sufficient angular resolution. Importantly, we observe minimal impact from thermal noise levels typical in Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations. Furthermore, our findings reveal that fitting an incorrect model type produces characteristic residual signatures, which serve as kinematic criteria for disk classification.

Quantum higher-spin theory applied to Compton amplitudes has proven to be surprisingly useful for elucidating Kerr black hole dynamics. Here we apply the framework to compute scattering amplitudes and observables for a binary system of two rotating black holes, at second post-Minkowskian order, and to all orders in the spin-multipole expansion for certain quantities. Starting from the established three-point and conjectured Compton quantum amplitudes, the infinite-spin limit gives classical amplitudes that serves as building block that we feed into the unitarity method to construct the 2-to-2 one-loop amplitude. We give scalar box, vector box, and scalar triangle coefficients to all orders in spin, where the latter are expressed in terms of Bessel-like functions. Using the Kosower-Maybee-O'Connell formalism, the classical 2PM impulse is computed, and in parallel we work out the scattering angle and eikonal phase. We give novel all-orders-in-spin formulae for certain contributions, and the remaining ones are given up to ${\cal O}(S^{11})$. Since Kerr 2PM dynamics beyond ${\cal O}(S^{\ge 5})$ is as of yet not completely settled, this work serves as a useful reference for future studies.

We present the morphological parameters and global properties of dust-obscured star formation in typical star-forming galaxies at z = 4–6. Among 26 galaxies composed of 20 galaxies observed by the Cycle-8 ALMA Large Program, CRISTAL, and 6 galaxies from archival data, we individually detect rest-frame 158 μm dust continuum emission from 19 galaxies, 9 of which are reported for the first time. The derived far-infrared luminosities are in the range log₁₀L_IR [L_⊙] = 10.9 ‑ 12.4, an order of magnitude lower than previously detected massive dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs). We find the average relationship between the fraction of dust-obscured star formation (f_obs) and the stellar mass to be consistent with previous results at z = 4–6 in a mass range of log₁₀M_* [M_⊙]∼9.5 ‑ 11.0 and to show potential evolution from z = 6 ‑ 9. The individual f_obs exhibits significant diversity, and we find a potential correlation with the spatial offset between the dust and UV continuum, suggesting that inhomogeneous dust reddening may cause the source-to-source scatter in f_obs. The effective radii of the dust emission are on average ∼1.5 kpc and are about two times more extended than those seen in rest-frame UV. The infrared surface densities of these galaxies (Σ_IR ∼ 2.0 × 10¹⁰ L_⊙ kpc^‑2) are one order of magnitude lower than those of DSFGs that host compact central starbursts. On the basis of the comparable contribution of dust-obscured and dust-unobscured star formation along with their similar spatial extent, we suggest that typical star-forming galaxies at z = 4 ‑ 6 form stars throughout the entirety of their disks.

We consider gauged linear sigma models with gauge group U(1) that exhibit a geometric as well as a Landau–Ginzburg phase. We construct defects that implement the transport of D-branes from the Landau–Ginzburg phase to the geometric phase. Through their fusion with boundary conditions these defects in particular provide functors between the respective D-brane categories. The latter map (equivariant) matrix factorizations to coherent sheaves and can be formulated explicitly in terms of complexes of matrix factorizations.

Most star formation in the local Universe occurs in spiral galaxies, but their origin remains an unanswered question. Various theories have been proposed to explain the development of spiral arms, each predicting different spatial distributions of the interstellar medium. This study maps the star formation rate (SFR) and gas-phase metallicity of nine spiral galaxies with the TYPHOON survey to test two dominating theories: density wave theory and dynamic spiral theory. We discuss the environmental effects on our galaxies, considering reported environments and merging events. Taking advantage of the large field of view covering the entire optical disc, we quantify the fluctuation of SFR and metallicity relative to the azimuthal distance from the spiral arms. We find higher SFR and metallicity in the trailing edge of NGC 1365 (by 0.117 and 0.068 dex, respectively) and NGC 1566 (by 0.119 and 0.037 dex, respectively), which is in line with density wave theory. NGC 2442 shows a different result with higher metallicity (0.093 dex) in the leading edge, possibly attributed to an ongoing merging. The other six spiral galaxies show no statistically significant offset in SFR or metallicity, consistent with dynamic spiral theory. We also compare the behaviour of metallicity inside and outside the corotation radius (CR) of NGC 1365 and NGC 1566. We find comparable metallicity fluctuations near and beyond the CR of NGC 1365, indicating gravitational perturbation. NGC 1566 shows the greatest fluctuation near the CR, in line with the analytic spiral arms. Our work highlights that a combination of mechanisms explains the origin of spiral features in the local Universe.

Context. Photoevaporation is an important process for protoplanetary disc dispersal, but there has so far been a lack of consensus from simulations over the mass-loss rates and the most important part of the high-energy spectrum involved in driving the wind. Aims. We aim to isolate the origins of these discrepancies through carefully benchmarked hydrodynamic simulations of X-ray photoevaporation with time-dependent thermochemistry calculated on the fly. Methods. We conducted hydrodynamic simulations with PLUTO where the thermochemistry is calculated using PRIZMO. We explored the contribution of certain key microphysical processes and the impact of employing different spectra previously used in literature studies. Results. We find that additional cooling results from the excitation of O by neutral H, which leads to dramatically reduced mass-loss across the disc compared to previous X-ray photoevaporation models, with an integrated rate of ~10^‑9 M_⊙ yr^‑1. Such rates would allow for longer-lived discs than previously expected from population synthesis. An alternative spectrum with less soft X-ray produces mass-loss rates around a factor of two to three times lower. The chemistry is significantly out of equilibrium, with the survival of H₂ into the wind being aided by advection. This leads to H₂ becoming the dominant coolant at 10s au, thus stabilising a larger radial temperature gradient across the wind as well as providing a possible wind tracer.

The <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mi>S</mml:mi></mml:math></inline-formula>-matrix formulation of gravity suggests that the <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mi>θ</mml:mi></mml:math></inline-formula>-vacuum structure must not be sustained by the theory. We point out that, when applied to the vacuum of general relativity, this criterion hints to supersymmetry. The topological susceptibility of gravitational vacuum induced by Eguchi-Hanson instantons can be eliminated neither by spin-<inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:math></inline-formula> fermions nor by an axion coupled via them since such fermions do not provide instanton zero modes. Instead, the job is done by a spin-<inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mn>3</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:math></inline-formula> fermion, hence realizing a local supersymmetry. This scenario also necessitates the spontaneous breaking of supersymmetry and predicts the existence of axion of <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mi>R</mml:mi></mml:math></inline-formula> symmetry which gets mass exclusively from the gravitational instantons. The <inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mi>R</mml:mi></mml:math></inline-formula> axion can be a viable dark matter candidate. Matching between the index and the anomaly imposes a constraint that spin-<inline-formula><mml:math display="inline"><mml:mn>1</mml:mn><mml:mo>/</mml:mo><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:math></inline-formula> fermions should not contribute to the chiral gravitational anomaly.

Metals in the diffuse, ionized gas at the boundary between the Milky Way's interstellar medium (ISM) and circumgalactic medium (CGM), known as the disk-halo interface (DHI), are valuable tracers of the feedback processes that drive the Galactic fountain. However, metallicity measurements in this region are challenging due to obscuration by the Milky Way ISM and uncertain ionization corrections that affect the total hydrogen column density. In this work, we constrain the ionization corrections to neutral hydrogen column densities using precisely measured electron column densities from the dispersion measure of pulsars that lie in the same globular clusters as UV-bright targets with high-resolution absorption spectroscopy. We address the blending of absorption lines with the ISM by jointly fitting Voigt profiles to all absorption components. We present our metallicity estimates for the DHI of the Milky Way based on detailed photoionization modeling to the absorption from ionized metal lines and ionization-corrected total hydrogen columns. Generally, the gas clouds show a large scatter in metallicity, ranging between $0.04-3.2\ Z_{\odot}$, implying that the DHI consists of a mixture of gaseous structures having multiple origins. We estimate the inflow and outflow timescales of the DHI ionized clouds to be $6 - 35$ Myr. We report the detection of an infalling cloud with super-solar metallicity that suggests a Galactic fountain mechanism, whereas at least one low-metallicity outflowing cloud ($Z < 0.1\ Z_{\odot}$) poses a challenge for Galactic fountain and feedback models.

The general epidemic process (GEP), also known as susceptible-infected-recovered model, provides a minimal model of how an epidemic spreads within a population of susceptible individuals who acquire permanent immunization upon recovery. This model exhibits a second-order absorbing state phase transition, commonly studied assuming immobile healthy individuals. We investigate the impact of mobility on the scaling properties of disease spreading near the extinction threshold by introducing two generalizations of GEP, where the mobility of susceptible and recovered individuals is examined independently. In both cases, including mobility violates GEP's rapidity reversal symmetry and alters the number of absorbing states. The critical dynamics of the models are analyzed through a perturbative renormalization group (RG) approach and large-scale stochastic simulations using a Gillespie algorithm. The RG analysis predicts both models to belong to the same novel universality class describing the critical dynamics of epidemic spreading when the infected individuals interact with a diffusive species and gain immunization upon recovery. At the associated RG fixed point, the immobile species decouples from the dynamics of the infected species, dominated by the coupling with the diffusive species. Numerical simulations in two dimensions affirm our RG results by identifying the same set of critical exponents for both models. Violation of the rapidity reversal symmetry is confirmed by breaking the associated hyperscaling relation. Our study underscores the significance of mobility in shaping population spreading dynamics near the extinction threshold.

The stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) consists of an incoherent collection of waves from both astrophysical and cosmological sources. To distinguish the SGWB from noise, it is essential to verify its quadrupolar nature, exemplified by the cross-correlations among pairs of pulsars within a pulsar timing array, commonly referred to as the Hellings-Downs curve. We extend the concept of quadrupolar correlations to pairs of general gravitational wave detectors, classified by their antenna responses. This study involves space-based missions such as the laser interferometers LISA, Taiji, and TianQin, along with atom interferometers like AEDGE/MAGIS. We calculate modulations in their correlations due to orbital motions and relative orientations, which are characteristic markers for identifying the quadrupolar nature of the SGWB. Our findings identify optimal configurations for these missions, offer forecasts for the time needed to identify the quadrupolar nature of the SGWB, and are applicable to both space-space and space-terrestrial correlations.

Context. Photometric redshifts for galaxies hosting an accreting supermassive black hole in their center, known as active galactic nuclei (AGNs), are notoriously challenging. At present, they are most optimally computed via spectral energy distribution (SED) fittings, assuming that deep photometry for many wavelengths is available. However, for AGNs detected from all-sky surveys, the photometry is limited and provided by a range of instruments and studies. This makes the task of homogenizing the data challenging, presenting a dramatic drawback for the millions of AGNs that wide surveys such as SRG/eROSITA are poised to detect. Aims. This work aims to compute reliable photometric redshifts for X-ray-detected AGNs using only one dataset that covers a large area: the tenth data release of the Imaging Legacy Survey (LS10) for DESI. LS10 provides deep grizW1-W4 forced photometry within various apertures over the footprint of the eROSITA-DE survey, which avoids issues related to the cross-calibration of surveys. Methods. We present the results from CIRCLEZ, a machine-learning algorithm based on a fully connected neural network. CIRCLEZ is built on a training sample of 14 000 X-ray-detected AGNs and utilizes multi-aperture photometry, mapping the light distribution of the sources. Results. The accuracy (σ_NMAD) and the fraction of outliers (η) reached in a test sample of 2913 AGNs are equal to 0.067 and 11.6%, respectively. The results are comparable to (or even better than) what was previously obtained for the same field, but with much less effort in this instance. We further tested the stability of the results by computing the photometric redshifts for the sources detected in CSC2 and Chandra-COSMOS Legacy, reaching a comparable accuracy as in eFEDS when limiting the magnitude of the counterparts to the depth of LS10. Conclusions. The method can be applied to fainter samples of AGNs using deeper optical data from future surveys (for example, LSST, Euclid), granting LS10-like information on the light distribution beyond the morphological type. Along with this paper, we have released an updated version of the photometric redshifts (including errors and probability distribution functions) for eROSITA/eFEDS.

Molecular deuteration is a powerful diagnostic tool for probing the physical conditions and chemical processes in astrophysical environments. In this work, we focus on formaldehyde deuteration in the protobinary system NGC 1333 IRAS 4A, located in the Perseus molecular cloud. Using high-resolution (<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0002" notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula>100 au) ALMA (The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) observations, we investigate the [D<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0003" notation="LaTeX">$_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>CO]/[HDCO] ratio along the cavity walls of the outflows emanating from IRAS 4A1. Our analysis reveals a consistent decrease in the deuteration ratio (from <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0004" notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula>60-20 per cent to <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0005" notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula>10 per cent) with increasing distance from the protostar (from <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0006" notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula>2000 to <inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0007" notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula>4000 au). Given the large measured [D<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0008" notation="LaTeX">$_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>CO]/[HDCO], both HDCO and D<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0009" notation="LaTeX">$_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>CO are likely injected by the shocks along the cavity walls into the gas-phase from the dust mantles, formed in the previous prestellar phase. We propose that the observed [D<inline-formula><tex-math id="TM0010" notation="LaTeX">$_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>CO]/[HDCO] decrease is due to the density profile of the prestellar core from which NGC 1333 IRAS 4A was born. When considering the chemical processes at the base of formaldehyde deuteration, the IRAS 4A's prestellar precursor had a predominantly flat density profile within 3000 au and a decrease of density beyond this radius.