Recent calculations based on the same HAL QCD Collaboration $N{\mathrm{\Omega }}_{ccc}$ lattice-QCD potential have reached conflicting conclusions on whether the $NN{\mathrm{\Omega }}_{ccc}$ system supports a bound state. The problem is reexamined here with a highly correlated exponential variational method. The near-threshold state is directly evaluated without coupling-constant extrapolation, and the Coulomb interaction is treated through analytically exact matrix elements. Without Coulomb, the variational energy lies below the $d+{\mathrm{\Omega }}_{ccc}$ threshold, indicating a shallow $\left(0\right)1/2^{+}$ $d\text{–}{\mathrm{\Omega }}_{ccc}$ bound state with a binding energy of about 0.025 MeV. The resulting bound state is spatially extended, with $\sqrt{\langle r_{N\mathrm{\Omega }}^2\rangle }\approx 17.5$ fm, consistent with the near-threshold scale ${\kappa }^{-1}\approx 24$ fm (rms $\approx 17$ fm). When Coulomb repulsion is included, the variational energy approaches the threshold from above while the rms separation grows strongly and remains unconverged; no binding signal is found within the explored basis sizes. Complex-scaling calculations likewise yield no $\theta$-stable resonance pole. In the Coulomb-free model, a survey of the nine spin-channel/time-slice combinations finds only the ${}^{3}S_1$, $t/a=16$ case below threshold.

Background: Neutron-rich nucleus ${}^{44}\mathrm{S}$ lies in the region where traditional $N=28$ shell closure weakens, leading to the emergence of shape coexistence and large-amplitude collective motion. Understanding the nature and degree of shape mixing in this nucleus remains an important and fascinating problem.

Purpose: We investigate the manifestation of shape fluctuations in ${}^{44}\mathrm{S}$ and examine how the electric transitions and the spectroscopic factors from one-neutron knockout reactions can serve as probes of shapes mixing.

Method: The antisymmetrized molecular dynamics combined with the generator coordinate method is used to study the structure of ${}^{44}\mathrm{S}$ and ${}^{43}\mathrm{S}$. Calculations are performed by using Gogny effective interactions with two different parameter sets, D1S and D1M, to explore the interaction dependence of shape mixing. Monopole and quadrupole transition strengths and spectroscopic factors are evaluated. The cross sections for the ${}^{44}\mathrm{S}(p,pn){}^{43}\mathrm{S}$ reaction are calculated within the distorted wave impulse approximation.

Results: The calculations reveal a strong interaction dependence of shape fluctuation in ${}^{44}\mathrm{S}$. The structural differences obtained from D1S and D1M interactions produce distinct patterns of the electric transitions, the spectroscopic factors, and the cross sections for ${}^{44}\mathrm{S}(p,pn){}^{43}\mathrm{S}$ knockout reaction.

Conclusion: The population of $3/2^{-}$ and $7/2^{-}$ states of ${}^{43}\mathrm{S}$ is particularly sensitive to the underlying shape fluctuation in ${}^{44}\mathrm{S}$. Thus, the measurement of ${}^{44}\mathrm{S}(p,pn){}^{43}\mathrm{S}$ reaction can provide a direct experimental probe.

Background: The study of $\alpha$-decay half-lives is essential for understanding the stability and structure of heavy and superheavy nuclei. Accurate prediction of these half-lives is important for exploring regions where experimental data are limited, particularly in the superheavy domain. In recent years, machine-learning techniques have emerged as powerful tools for identifying complex relationships within the nuclear data and improving predictive capability.

Purpose: The present work aims to investigate the predictive capability of a neural network framework for estimating $\alpha$-decay half-lives across a wide range of nuclei and to examine whether the model can reliably reproduce known decay systematics and extend predictions to the superheavy region.

Methods: A neural network model was trained on experimentally known $\alpha$-decay data for 535 energetically allowed nuclei, comprising 159 even-even nuclei (${}^{148}\mathrm{Gd}$ to ${}^{294}\mathrm{Og}$), 295 odd-A nuclei (${}^{149}\mathrm{Tb}$ to ${}^{289}\mathrm{Fl}$), and 81 doubly odd nuclei (${}^{148}\mathrm{Eu}$ to ${}^{258}\mathrm{Md}$). The predicted logarithmic $\alpha$-decay half-lives are compared with the available experimental data as well as with the corresponding values obtained from the semi-empirical Universal Decay Law. The performance of the model is evaluated through correlation analysis, residual distributions, root-mean-square error behavior during training, and fivefold cross-validation tests. The trained model is then applied to predict $\alpha$-decay half-lives for theoretically known superheavy nuclei in the region 117 $\le$ Z $\le$ 120. The predicted results are further compared with recent machine-learning models, microscopic calculations, the finite-range droplet model, and the Viola–Seaborg–Sobiczewski formula.

Results: The neural network predictions show good agreement with experimental data and follow trends similar to those obtained from the semi-empirical formulas. The statistical analysis indicates high correlation between predicted and experimental half-lives, with small residual deviations and stable prediction errors across different data partitions. The model successfully captures the nonlinear dependence of $\alpha$-decay half-life on decay energy and nuclear charge. Predictions for superheavy nuclei exhibit systematic behavior consistent with established decay trends.

Conclusion: The results demonstrate that neural network techniques provide an effective and reliable approach for predicting $\alpha$-decay half-lives for even-even and odd-mass nuclei. The model reproduces known decay systematics and offers useful predictions in the superheavy region, which may assist future experimental studies of superheavy nuclei.

We develop a machine learning method to calibrate nuclear mass excess predictions by integrating multiple global mass models. A Bayesian ridge regression model is trained with known nuclei from AME2020 using results from five theoretical mass models, achieving a root-mean-squared error of 0.256 MeV. Further validations based on updated mass evaluations, excluded nuclear chains, and extrapolation toward the superheavy region support the improved interpolation of the Bayesian ridge regression model among known nuclei and improved extrapolation performance. The calibrated results are then introduced into the dinuclear system model to enhance the prediction of optimal incident energies. This machine learning–assisted approach provides reliable optimal incident energies for the synthesis of superheavy elements with $Z=119$ and 120. Our study indicates the potential of combining theoretical models with machine learning methods to advance predictive capabilities in superheavy element research.

Photonuclear data libraries provide a quantitative description of photon interaction physics for nuclear reaction modeling and underpin a broad range of applications. However, existing evaluations remain limited by persistent inconsistencies between experimental measurements and theoretical descriptions, particularly when multiple isotopes and reaction channels must be treated simultaneously. Correlations induced by shared reaction-model parameters across isotopes, observables, and reaction channels are difficult to rigorously propagate within traditional localized evaluation approaches, motivating joint inference methodologies for physically consistent photonuclear evaluation. In this article, we present a deep-neural network emulator of ${\mathrm{COH}}_3$ reaction modeling code that accurately reproduces theoretical calculations with substantial speedup and enables a Markov Chain Monte Carlo inference. We show that a statistically consistent joint Bayesian treatment of ${}^{235}\mathrm{U}$ and ${}^{239}\mathrm{Pu}$ photonuclear reaction cross sections, including photofission ratio data, exposes tensions between current nuclear models and the available experimental data. We present a joint photonuclear evaluation that rigorously incorporates these measurements and reports posterior distributions on the underlying reaction-model parameters. Validation studies show high predictive accuracy (root mean square error $<0.008$ barns) and the ability to generalize to unseen nuclei, indicating that the emulator captures meaningful underlying physics relationships. The joint Bayesian inference reveals that the available experimental data cannot be simultaneously reproduced within the current theoretical description. The inferred posterior distributions identify the model parameters and correlated reaction mechanisms most strongly constrained by the data, exposing tensions across isotopes, observables, and reaction channels that remain hidden in traditional localized evaluations. The analysis also revisits a longstanding ${}^{235}\mathrm{U}$ photofission cross section discrepancy and reaches conclusions that differ from previous interpretations based on isolated evaluations. More broadly, this work establishes machine-learning-enabled Bayesian inference as a framework for rigorously testing the consistency of photonuclear data and probing the limits of current reaction theory.

The present work reports on high-precision measurements of forward-angle fragmentation differential cross sections for the ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}+{}^{12}\mathrm{C}$ reaction at $62\mathrm{MeV}/\mathrm{nucleon}$ using the FAZIA array. Angular distributions for fragments from $Z=1$ to 6 were extracted in the range $2^{\circ }\le {\theta }_{\text{lab}}\le 8^{\circ }$. Particle identification was achieved by combining the $\mathrm{\Delta }E\text{–}E$ technique with pulse shape analysis, and precise energy calibrations were performed. The results show that for heavier fragments, the angular distributions are better described by the Van Bibber formulation than by the Goldhaber model, consistent with the dominance of a wide component from dissipative processes in the measured angular range. Notably, $\alpha$ particles exhibit an anomalously narrow angular distribution, likely originating from the intrinsic cluster structure of ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}$. Comparisons with existing data at the same incident energy show very good agreement, with a more complete set of species reported here, while a kinematic scaling is proposed to compare our data with previous experimental data at 50 and $95\mathrm{MeV}/\mathrm{nucleon}$.

The energy-energy correlator (EEC) inside jets is a sensitive observable for studying jet modification in the quark-gluon plasma. However, its interpretation in heavy-ion collisions remains challenging, requiring a consistent understanding of jet evolution across multiple dynamical scales together with a proper treatment of the background subtraction. In this work, we employ an updated CoLBT-hydro framework in which a medium scale $Q_M=2.0$ GeV is introduced to separate the vacuum and in-medium stages of the parton shower, enabling a more self-consistent treatment of jet evolution. Using a theoretical background subtraction within the model, the resulting simulation reproduces the recent CMS measurement of the in-jet EEC and, through a decomposition of the different contributions, highlights the impact of medium modification on the observable. To further validate the experimental procedure, we also implement the CMS mixed-event background-subtraction method directly in the simulation and find that the results are consistent with those obtained with the theoretical background subtraction. Using $p_T$-ranked jets in each event, we further investigate the dependence of medium modification on the in-medium path length, reflected in the different EECs of leading and subleading jets. Finally, we explore the dependence of the leading-jet EEC on the dijet rapidity gap as a signal of the jet-induced diffusion wake.

$\mathrm{\Lambda }d$ elastic scattering and breakup below the $\mathrm{\Sigma }$ threshold is described fully including the virtual coupling to $\mathrm{\Sigma }$ channels. Well-converged results are obtained solving the multichannel scattering equations for three-body transition operators in momentum space. Scattering length, exclusive, semi-inclusive and total elastic and breakup cross sections, and spin observables are calculated, aiming to study their dependence on kinematic variables and dynamic ingredients. The uncertainty due to the hyperon-nucleon interaction model is most sizable. The observables and regimes that could help to constrain the hyperon-nucleon force models are identified. The single-channel approximation of the problem is validated at low and intermediate energies.

Background: Proton-induced knockout reactions at intermediate energies provide a clean probe for nuclear clusters with relatively small theoretical uncertainties. The Maris polarization, which is the effective polarization of a particle inside a nucleus arising from nuclear absorption and spin-orbit coupling, has been used in proton knockout to determine the total angular momentum $j$ of the removed protons. However, its manifestation in cluster knockout remains unexplored.

Purpose: I theoretically demonstrated that the Maris polarization can be observed via the vector analyzing power $A_y$ of the proton-induced deuteron knockout $(p,pd)$ reaction in imbalanced kinematics.

Method: First, I computed the spin correlation coefficient $C_{y,y}$ of $p\text{−}d$ elastic scattering, which is an elementary process, to identify suitable kinematics for the Maris polarization. Subsequently, I calculated the $A_y$ values of the $(p,pd)$ reaction at 250 MeV in forward kinematics for deuteron-cluster orbits with $j=1$, 2, and 3.

Result: The large positive $C_{y,y}$ values at $p\text{−}d$ scattering angles of $\approx {40}^{\circ }$ are consistent with the experimental data. In the corresponding $(p,pd)$ kinematics, the signs of $A_y$ for $j=3$ and 1 orbits are positive and negative, respectively, indicating effective upward and downward polarizations of the deuterons in the nucleus. The $A_y$ value for $j=2$ orbit lies between those for the other two orbits, which can also be explained by the Maris polarization, with the deuteron being knocked out from regions near the poles of the $y$ axis. These results are nearly independent of the internal state of the deuteron and the nucleon-nucleon effective interactions used to describe the elementary process.

Conclusion: I theoretically demonstrated that the Maris polarization occurs in the $(p,pd)$ reaction under imbalanced kinematics. This work may provide information on the orbital motion of the deuteron cluster in a nucleus and could lead to the establishment of the concept of deuteron-cluster orbit. Further experimental and theoretical studies are required to improve the quantitative understanding of this effect.

A single-crystal chemical-vapor-deposited diamond detector was used at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center to measure neutron-induced reactions on carbon. Neutrons with a broad energy spectrum were produced via spallation. Relative cross sections are reported from above threshold up to 26 MeV incident neutron energy for ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}(n,p_2){}^{12}\mathrm{B}$, up to 23 MeV for ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}(n,p_{3+4}){}^{12}\mathrm{B}$, and up to 35 MeV for ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}(n,d_1){}^{11}\mathrm{B}$ and ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}(n,d_2){}^{11}\mathrm{B}$, all of which represent the highest-energy measurements for these reactions to date and the first measurement for $(n,d_2)$. Cross sections for ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}(n,p){{}^{12}\mathrm{B}}_{\text{total}}$ and ${}^{12}\mathrm{C}(n,d){{}^{11}\mathrm{B}}_{\text{total}}$ are also reported from sums of the partial cross sections. These measurements are compared with recent data from EXFOR as well as talys calculations. These data are useful for future nuclear data evaluations and can be used as cross-section inputs for data-based simulation packages.

Recent STAR measurements of ${}^{238}\mathrm{U}+{}^{238}\mathrm{U}/{}^{197}\mathrm{Au}+{}^{197}\mathrm{Au}$ ratios provide a sensitive test of nuclear deformation in relativistic heavy-ion collisions, but the elliptic-flow, triangular-flow, and transverse-momentum-related observables are not simultaneously described within existing calculations. We use three-dimensional lattice covariant density functional theory (CDFT) with pairing correlations to provide microscopic density distributions of both ${}^{238}\mathrm{U}$ and ${}^{197}\mathrm{Au}$ for event-by-event hydrodynamic simulations. The CDFT densities substantially improve the description of the ultracentral elliptic-flow ratio, while the octupole-deformed uranium configuration yields a triangular-flow ratio larger than that of the reflection-symmetric configuration. In contrast, the transverse-momentum-related ratios remain difficult to describe within the present framework. We further show that variations of the density of the odd-mass ${}^{197}\mathrm{Au}$ reference nucleus can produce changes in the triangular-flow ratio comparable to the separation between the two uranium configurations. These results demonstrate that both the uranium structure and the reference-nucleus density must be controlled before quantitative nuclear-structure constraints can be extracted from high-energy collisions.

A microscopic framework that combines the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) approach with the fusion by diffusion model is proposed to investigate the synthesis mechanism of superheavy nuclei (SHN). For the reaction ${}^{48}\mathrm{Ca}+{}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$, the calculated evaporation-residue cross section reproduces the experimental data reasonably well. The method enables self-consistent extraction of the fusion injection point and inner barrier from HFB potential-energy surfaces (PES), thereby incorporating nuclear structure effects while eliminating phenomenological tuning at the fusion stage. For cold-fusion reactions, the PES features a hyperasymmetric valley driven by shell effects. This ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ anchored valley connects the entrance channel to compound nucleus formation and provides an exit channel for cluster decay. We further investigate the cold-fusion reactions ${}^{54}\mathrm{Cr}+{}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ and ${}^{58}\mathrm{Fe}+{}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$, obtaining a near-exponential decrease of $P_{\text{CN}}$ with compound nucleus charge $Z$, consistent with established systematics. This approach demonstrates a self-consistent framework that can reduce uncertainties in the fusion stage of SHN production.

We study quantum-information aspects of neutron-proton scattering in the spin-space $M$-matrix framework. Four representative classes of input states are considered, namely, diagonal mixed states, separable pure states, general two-qubit pure states, and a special Schmidt-like entangled subclass. For each class, ensemble-averaged output mutual information, reduced-state linear entropy, negativity, and geometric quantum discord are calculated in the relative momentum–scattering angle plane. The results show that the outgoing spin correlations are governed jointly by scattering kinematics and by the structure of the incoming quantum ensemble. Input states with stronger intrinsic coherence or entanglement give larger maxima and higher minima in the mutual information, negativity, and geometric quantum discord. The enhanced regions of the mutual information and geometric discord depend on the input states, while the negativity maximum remains concentrated in the high-momentum backward-scattering region. These results extend earlier studies based on product-state entanglement power and provide an ensemble-based description of how spin correlations in neutron-proton scattering arise from the interplay between input-state structure and scattering dynamics.

The nuclear shell model is known to describe the properties of various nuclei extremely well. However, the auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo calculations cannot be applied to it with general interactions due to the sign problem. The model has therefore been investigated primarily by variational methods, where the accuracy of the results depends crucially on the ansatz for the wave function. Here we perform the auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo calculations in the case of small systems at finite temperature using the complex Langevin method (CLM), which has been successfully applied to various interesting systems with the sign problem over the decade. In particular, we show the existence of a parameter region in which the validity criterion for the CLM is satisfied and the expectation value of the energy obtained by exact diagonalization is correctly reproduced. Thus the CLM can be a complementary approach to the variational method for large systems.

Nuclear density functional theory provides a unified description of finite nuclei and bulk nuclear matter, and is widely used to model the neutron star (NS) equation of state. However, extrapolations to suprasaturation densities require a quantified treatment of uncertainties arising from parameter estimation and functional choices. We present an updated Bayesian inference of a Skyrme energy density functional augmented by a flexible metamodel density dependence at high density. Nuclear observables are computed using a Gaussian emulator of the publicly available Milano hfbcs-qrpa code, enabling efficient exploration of a high-dimensional parameter space. Relative to previous analyses, we extend the calibration set with isospin-sensitive data, including masses and charge radii along selected Ca and Sn isotopic chains, and updated constraints from giant monopole resonances. The resulting posteriors are further constrained by ab initio neutron-matter calculations and astrophysical observations, including recent NICER measurements, yielding consistent crust and core properties of catalyzed NS compatible with current constraints. Bulk nuclear-matter parameters are well approximated by a multivariate Gaussian with covariance matrix provided for direct reuse, while several finite-nucleus parameters exhibit pronounced non-Gaussianity.

The $K$-isomeric states in the heaviest nuclei are among the interesting topics in superheavy-element research. In the present work, we report on the discovery of $\mu \mathrm{s}$ isomers in ${}^{258,259,260}\mathrm{Sg}$ which deexcite with half-lives of ${120}_{-55}^{+578}\mu \mathrm{s}$, $85\pm 6\mu \mathrm{s}$, and $8.5_{-1.8}^{+3.1}\mu \mathrm{s}$, respectively, and are attributed to high-$K$ states formed in multiquasiparticle couplings. In ${}^{261}\mathrm{Sg}$, activity with $12.6_{-1.6}^{+2.2}\mu \mathrm{s}$ half-life was observed and it is suggested to originate from decays of a high-$K$ multiquasiparticle and/or single-particle isomeric states.

Background: Contemporary stopping powers for $fp$-shell nuclei slowing in tantalum can differ by a factor of 2 from the 1963 Lindhard, Scharff, and Schiøtt (LSS) theory [Mat. Fys. Medd. Dan. Vidensk Selsk. 33, no. 14 (1963)] used in Doppler-shift attenuation method (DSAM) lifetime measurements dating back to the 1970s. In recent work by Woodside et al. [Phys. Rev. C 113, 044306 (2026)], it was found that anomalously high collectivity in the $4_1^{+}\to 2_1^{+}$ transition of ${}^{58}\mathrm{Fe}$ given in the Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File (ENSDF), Nesaraja et al. [Nucl. Data Sheets 111, 897 (2010)] could be traced back as largely due to the use of these historical stopping powers in the Doppler-shift lifetime measurements. Satisfactory agreement with shell-model calculations was obtained from a reanalysis of the 1978 DSAM measurement of Bolotin et al. [Nucl. Phys. A 311, 75 (1978)] once the stopping powers were replaced by up-to-date values.

Purpose: The DSAM measurement on ${}^{54}\mathrm{Cr}$ by the same group, Stuchbery et al. [Nucl. Phys. A 337, 1 (1980)], which used the same experimental methods and procedures, is reexamined.

Method: The computer code used in the original DSAM analysis has been rebuilt and upgraded with the capacity to use contemporary stopping powers. Reduced $E2$ transition strengths derived from the revised lifetimes are compared with shell-model calculations.

Results: The impact of revised stopping powers on the excited-state lifetimes depends on the relative contributions of nuclear and electronic stopping powers. It is primarily the electronic stopping powers that differ from LSS values. Hence, the magnitude of the change in lifetime depends on the lifetime itself. In the present case, the lifetimes increase by 16% to 27%, with the larger increase generally corresponding to shorter lifetimes where electronic stopping dominates.

Conclusions: Revised lifetimes, based on current stopping powers, imply $B\left(E2\right)$ transition rates between states up to the $6_1^{+}$ state in ${}^{54}\mathrm{Cr}$ that compare well with shell-model calculations using the GXFP1A interaction. Better agreement is obtained with the effective charges recently proposed by Ogunbeku et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 072501 (2025)], namely $e_{\pi }=1.3$ and $e_{\nu }=0.45$, than with the standard $e_{\pi }=1.5$ and $e_{\nu }=0.5$. The lifetime data together with branching ratios and the shell-model calculations strongly suggest revision of the spins assigned to the levels at 3.786 [currently ${\left(4\right)}^{+}$] and 4.043 MeV (currently $5^{+}$). These levels are suggested to be the $5_1^{+}$ and $6_2^{+}$ states, respectively.

We investigate the influence of the tensor component of the Skyrme interaction on $\alpha$ clustering and $\alpha$ decay in heavy nuclei within the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov framework. Ground-state-to-ground-state $\alpha$ decays in even-even Po, Rn, and Ra isotopes are treated microscopically using the formalism proposed by Ward et al. [Phys. Rev. C 88, 064316 (2013)]. By comparing calculations with and without the tensor force, we find that the tensor interaction significantly improves the description of the relative $\alpha$-decay rates by better reproducing the shell evolution of the reduced widths across the $N=126$ shell closure. A microscopic analysis shows that the tensor force modifies the spin-orbit splittings and rearranges single-particle orbitals near the Fermi surface, which in turn changes the pairing correlations and the $\alpha$-cluster formation probability. Although the tensor interaction does not remove the underestimation of the absolute decay widths within the present mean-field framework, it plays an important role in capturing the systematic trends of $\alpha$ clustering in heavy nuclei.