We measure the cross-correlation between cosmic shear from the third-year release of the Dark Energy Survey, thermal Sunyaev-Zel’dovich (tSZ) maps from Planck, and x-ray maps from ROSAT. We investigate the possibility of developing a physical model able to jointly describe both measurements, simultaneously constraining the spatial distribution and thermodynamic properties of hot gas. We find that a relatively simple model is able to describe both sets of measurements and to make reasonably accurate predictions for other observables (the tSZ autocorrelation, its cross-correlation with x-rays, and tomographic measurements of the bias-weighted mean gas pressure). We show, however, that contamination from x-ray active galactic nuclei (AGN), as well as the impact of nonthermal pressure support, must be incorporated in order to fully resolve tensions in parameter space between different data combinations. Combining the tSZ and x-ray cross-correlations with cosmic shear we obtain simultaneous constraints on the mass scale at which half of the gas content has been expelled from the halo, ${\log }_{10}{M}_c=14.83_{-0.23}^{+0.16}$, on the polytropic index of the gas, $\mathrm{\Gamma }=1.144_{-0.013}^{+0.016}$, and on the ratio of the central gas temperature to the virial temperature ${\alpha }_T=1.30_{-0.28}^{+0.15}$, marginalizing over AGN contributions to the signal.

A recent observation by the Long-Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) mounted on NASA’s New Horizons yielded the most accurate measurement of the cosmic optical background (COB). The reported COB intensity is $11.16\pm 1.35\mathrm{nW}/{\mathrm{m}}^2/\mathrm{sr}$ at a pivot wavelength ${\lambda }_{\mathrm{piv}}=0.608\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{m}$ observed in the range $0.4\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{m}\lesssim \lambda \lesssim 0.9\mathrm{\mu }\mathrm{m}$. After subtracting the measured intensity from the deep Hubble Space Telescope count, diffused galactic light, and scattered light from bright star foregrounds, an anomalous intensity of $2.99\pm 2.03\mathrm{nW}/{\mathrm{m}}^2/\mathrm{sr}$ has been found. We consider radiatively decaying sterile neutrinos of keV mass scale as dark matter candidates that could contribute to this anomalous reported intensity. Using this, we derive upper bounds on the sterile-to-sterile transition magnetic moment. We find that sterile neutrinos with mass of $\mathcal{O}(\mathrm{keV})$ scale take values of the transition magnetic moment in the range $3\times {10}^{-13}{\mathrm{eV}}^{-1}–{10}^{-9}{\mathrm{eV}}^{-1}$ to explain the anomalous intensity of $2.99\pm 2.03\mathrm{nW}/{\mathrm{m}}^2/\mathrm{sr}$.

This study investigates neutral triple gauge couplings (nTGCs) through $ZZ$ production at future electron-positron colliders. The impact of beam polarization on the cross section is analyzed. We compare the signals and backgrounds for five different $ZZ$ decay channels and present our event selection strategies for future $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ colliders. The expected coefficient constraints for all decay channels are provided, and final expected constraints are derived by combining results from the different decay patterns. Our analysis indicates that future electron-positron colliders will have significantly enhanced detection capabilities for nTGCs compared to the current LHC experiments, with expected improvements in constraints by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude.

We derive the leading order Dokshitzer-Gribov-Lipatov-Altarelli-Parisi evolution of gluon distribution function in the target light cone gauge starting from its standard operator definition. The derivation is performed using the background field formalism also employed in the color glass condensate effective theory of small $x$ QCD. We adopt Mandelstam-Leibbrandt prescription to regulate in an unambiguous way the spurious singularity appearing in the light-cone gauge Feynman propagator. UV divergences are regulated via dimensional regularization. The methods introduced in this paper represent the first steps in the construction of a unified framework for QCD evolution, which could address collinear physics as well as small $x$ physics and gluon saturation.

We investigate the possible existence of double-strangeness hidden-charm pentaquark states, denoted as $P_{c\overline{c}ss}$, within an off-shell coupled-channel formalism. Eleven meson–baryon channels with total strangeness $S=-2$ are constructed by combining charmed mesons and singly charmed baryons. The two-body scattering amplitudes are derived from an effective Lagrangian that respects heavy-quark spin symmetry, hidden local symmetry, and flavor SU(3) symmetry. The Bethe-Salpeter equation is solved using the Blankenbecler-Sugar reduction scheme, and resonances are identified as poles in the scattering amplitudes on the complex energy plane. We find five negative-parity $P_{c\overline{c}ss}$ states with spins $J=1/2$, $3/2$, and $5/2$, all located below their relevant thresholds. Three positive-parity states are also found: two with $J=1/2$ and one with $J=3/2$, lying above the thresholds with substantial widths. The coupling strengths of each resonance to relevant meson-baryon channels are extracted. The sensitivity of the results to the cutoff parameter ${\mathrm{\Lambda }}_0=\mathrm{\Lambda }-m$ is examined. These results provide theoretical predictions that may assist future experimental searches for $P_{c\overline{c}ss}$ states in the $J/\psi \mathrm{\Xi }$ channel.

In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of decay constants and chiral-even and chiral-odd distribution amplitudes (DAs) up to twist 4 for the $\rho$ meson in the standard light-front quark model (LFQM) based on the Bakamjian-Thomas (BT) construction. For the $\rho$ meson, which possesses both longitudinal ($h=0$) and transverse $(h=\pm 1)$ polarizations, two types of decay constants, $f_{\rho }^{\parallel }$ and $f_{\rho }^{\perp }$, arises accordingly. We demonstrate that these decay constants can be self-consistently extracted from both local ($z^{\mu }=0$) and nonlocal ($z^{\mu }\ne 0$) matrix elements $⟨0|\overline{q}(z)\mathrm{\Gamma }q(-z)|\rho (P,h)⟩$, with $\mathrm{\Gamma }=({\gamma }^{\mu },{\sigma }^{\mu \nu },{\gamma }^{\mu }{\gamma }_5,\mathbf{1})$, in a manner independent of current components, polarizations, and reference frames. In particular, we emphasize the role of nonlocal matrix elements involving axial-vector and scalar currents, where mixing between $f_{\rho }^{\parallel }$ and $f_{\rho }^{\perp }$ occurs. We show that this mixing is consistently resolved through the BT construction, ensuring the proper extraction of these decay constants. Additionally, we investigate the structure of chiral-even DAs (${\varphi }_{2;\mathrm{V}}^{\parallel },{\varphi }_{3;\mathrm{V}}^{\parallel },{\psi }_{3;\mathrm{A}}^{\perp },{\varphi }_{4;\mathrm{V}}^{\parallel }$) and chiral-odd DAs (${\varphi }_{2;\mathrm{T}}^{\perp },{\varphi }_{3;\mathrm{T}}^{\perp },{\psi }_{3;\mathrm{S}}^{\parallel },{\varphi }_{4;\mathrm{T}}^{\perp }$) beyond leading twists, and present their corresponding $\xi$-moments and Gegenbauer moments. These results provide deeper insight into the nonperturbative structure of vector mesons and demonstrate the robustness and self-consistency of the LFQM based on the BT framework.

We present an improved version of the Superscaling Analysis with Relativistic Effective Mass, denoted as SuSAM-v2. In the original SuSAM model, a universal scaling function was fitted to a selected set of quasielastic electron scattering $(e,e^{\prime })$ cross section data, using a phenomenological ansatz inspired by the relativistic mean field model of nuclear matter. In this work, we refine the procedure by first fitting a longitudinal scaling function directly to experimental longitudinal response data. Subsequently, a separate transverse scaling function is extracted from purely transverse data, after subtracting the longitudinal contribution already determined. We find that the resulting transverse scaling function must exhibit an explicit dependence on the momentum transfer $q$ in order to reproduce all kinematics consistently. The resulting SuSAM-v2 model simultaneously describes inclusive quasielastic cross sections and both longitudinal and transverse response functions in electron scattering. The model is then applied to neutrino-nucleus scattering, showing an improved prediction compared to the previous SuSAM-v1 version, due to a more accurate treatment of the relative contributions of the longitudinal and transverse weak nuclear responses.

We analyze a decoherence effect, caused by the gravitational interaction between a massive body and the electromagnetic field. Assuming a quantum version of the light bending interaction, we show that it leads to decoherence of the mass if the light is not observed. Using the extreme weakness of the gravitational coupling, we derive explicitly the decoherence length scales for general states of the central mass and for both thermal and coherent light. Predictably, the effect is very faint for anything but hugely energetic light, however from the fundamental point of view of coexistence of both gravitation and quantum theories, it is there. Since effectively the studied system is a quantum optomechanical system, we hope our results, properly rescaled, will be also useful in optomechanics.

We analyze the two-photon emission process of a uniformly accelerated Unruh-DeWitt detector interacting with a massless scalar field in Minkowski spacetime. Using second-order perturbation theory, we derive the exact final quantum state of the field and classify the emitted photon pairs according to their directional decomposition into Unruh modes: right-right (RR), left-left (LL), and mixed (RL/LR) channels. The RR and LL contributions produce photon pairs within a single Rindler wedge, while RL and LR emissions generate entanglement across wedges. The first emission arises from a counterrotating (Unruh) excitation, followed by a rotating Wigner-Weisskopf-like decay. Our results reveal how acceleration imprints entanglement and thermal structure on the radiation, offering new insight into quantum field theory in noninertial frames and potential applications in relativistic quantum information.

We investigate the motion of a massive particle around a spherically symmetric black hole surrounded by a stationary and radial inflow of perfect fluid. The background spacetime is modeled as a spherically symmetric solution to the Einstein field equations, where the effect of the fluid on the geometry is treated as a perturbation on the Schwarzschild background. The equation of state for the fluid is assumed to follow the linear relationship $p=w\rho$, where $p$ is the pressure, and $\rho$ is the energy density with $w$ being a constant. The stress-energy tensor is treated as a phenomenological model to capture deviations from the vacuum Einstein theory. We allow the parameter $w$ of the equation of state to take both positive and negative values accepting a broad range of scenarios including exotic ones. Specifically, we examine the cases $w=2/3$, $1/3$, $-3/4$, and $-4/3$. For $\rho \ge 0$, the former two cases satisfy all standard energy conditions while the case of $w=-3/4$ violates the strong energy condition and the case of $w=-4/3$ violates all standard energy conditions. By solving the geodesic equations, we visualize the timelike geodesics around the black hole, focusing on the apsis shift of the orbit. To gain further insight into the effects of accretion, we employ the method of osculating orbital elements. Additionally, we analyze the observable effects on spacetime by studying the redshift of the orbiting test particles as an example of possible observables. We show that the difference in the particle orbits due to the matter accretion may be probed by using the redshift observation of stars orbiting around the black hole.

In anticipation of future multifrequency observations of black hole with the Next Generation Event Horizon Telescope, we construct spectral images of a thin accretion disk around a spherically symmetric black hole immersed in cold, nonmagnetized, pressureless plasma. The radiation from the disk is assumed to be thermal, and the surrounding plasma is entrained by its rotation. We use the general relativistic transport equation for the radiation in the plasma, accounting for both dispersion and plasma motion but neglecting absorption. Shadow images and intensity maps are computed across the full spectrum for an inverse power-law plasma density profile. The results show a strong dependence of the observed images on the radiation frequency, which looks promising for the possibility of extracting new information in future observations of the Next Generation Event Horizon Telescope.

The global topology of the Universe could, in principle, affect quantum systems through boundary condition constraints. We investigate this connection by analyzing how compact, flat, cosmologically inspired topologies, specifically the 3-torus ($E_1$) and half-turn space ($E_2$), influence the energy eigenvalues of a quantum particle in the bound state of a 3D Dirac delta potential. Using rigorous renormalization techniques, we derive the equations satisfied by the energy eigenvalues in each topology and develop a systematic method to compute spectral shifts. Our results reveal that each topology induces characteristic deviations in the energy spectrum. In the large-$L$ limit ($L\gg g_R$), to leading order, the energy eigenvalues for both the $E_1$ and $E_2$ spaces can be written in the unified form $E\simeq -\frac{{\hslash }^2}{2m{g}_R^2}(1+C_{\mathrm{\Gamma }}\frac{2g_R}{L}{e}^{-L/g_R})$, where the topology-dependent coefficient is $C_{\mathrm{\Gamma }}=6$ for the $E_1$ space and $C_{\mathrm{\Gamma }}=4$ for the $E_2$ space, $g_R$ is the characteristic length scale of the quantum system, and $L$ is the side physical length of the fundamental cubic region. Using the three-dimensional Dirac potential as a toy model, we show that at the current cosmic epoch ($a=1$), these topological effects are exponentially suppressed, rendering direct observation infeasible. However, such effects may become measurable in the early Universe, when the physical size of the particle horizon is comparable to the characteristic scale of the quantum system. While immediate experimental verification remains impractical, our work offers theoretical insight into how global cosmic topology might manifest in quantum bound states and may inform future studies of early-Universe quantum phenomena.

The 21-cm brightness temperature fluctuation from the Dark Ages ($z\simeq 30–100$) will allow us to probe the inflationary epoch on very small scales ($>0.1{\mathrm{Mpc}}^{-1}$), inaccessible to cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments. Combined with the possibility to collect information from different redshift slices, the 21-cm bispectrum has the potential to significantly improve constraints on primordial non-Gaussianity. However, recent work has shown secondary effects source off diagonal terms in the covariance matrix which can significantly affect forecasted constraints, especially in signals that peak in the squeezed configuration, such as the local bispectrum. In this paper we propose the three-point $⟨21-21-\mathrm{CMB}⟩$ bispectrum cross-correlation as a new independent observational channel sensitive to local primordial non-Gaussianity. We find that, contrary to the 21-cm bispectrum, secondary contributions are subdominant to the primordial signal for values $f_{\mathrm{NL}}^{\mathrm{loc}}\sim 1$, resulting in negligible effects from off diagonal terms in the covariance matrix. We forecast that CMB $T$ and $E$ modes cross-correlated with an ideal cosmic variance-limited 21-cm experiment with a 0.1 MHz frequency and 0.1 arc-minute angular resolution could reach $f_{\mathrm{NL}}^{\mathrm{loc}}\sim 6\times {10}^{-3}$. This forecast suggests cross-correlation between CMB and 21-cm experiments could provide a viable alternative to 21-cm autospectra in reaching unprecedented constraints on primordial local non-Gaussianities.

The distribution of dark matter at the Galactic center, crucial for indirect searches, remains uncertain. In particular, in the vicinity of the massive black hole in the center of a galaxy where indirect signals may be stronger, the density of a dark matter spike may undergo redistribution. Here we calculate the density surrounding Schwarzschild black holes that originate from diverse initial dark halos and estimate the velocity distribution of dark matter particles. By employing a series of Hernquist and power-law initial dark halos, we obtain a fitting formula between dark matter spikes and black hole masses. The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution is utilized to approximate the velocity distribution of dark matter particles. As an application, taking into account dark matter self-annihilation, we assess the relic densities of dark matter spikes around black holes. We find that the relic spikes for s-wave annihilation are higher than p-wave annihilation, and the relic densities obtained for p-wave annihilation depend on the velocity distribution, varying significantly with distance. The findings shall further provide useful insights for multimessenger dark matter detections in the future.

We study a generalized version of the Gross-Neveu model in $2+1$ dimensions. The model is inspired from Graphene, which shows a linear dispersion relation near the Dirac points. The phase structure and the thermodynamic properties in the mean field approximation have been studied before. Here, we go beyond the mean field level by deriving a Beth-Uhlenbeck equation for Gaussian fluctuations formulated in phase shift solutions, which we explore numerically, for the first time including their momentum dependence. We discuss the excitonic mass, fluctuation pressure, and phase shifts. The inclusion of momentum dependence in the phase shift shows a significant difference from the Lorentz-boosted version of the phase shift previously used in the literature. We find resurrection of the pseudoscalar bound states at large momentum above Mott temperature and show that the presence of Landau modes significantly contributes to the fluctuation pressure.

Exoplanets, with their large volumes and low temperatures, are ideal celestial detectors for probing dark matter (DM) interactions. DM particles can lose energy through scattering with the planetary interior and become gravitationally captured if their interaction with the visible sector is sufficiently strong. In the absence of annihilation, the captured DM thermalizes and accumulates at the planet’s center, eventually collapsing into black holes (BHs). Using gaseous exoplanets as an example, we demonstrate that BH formation can occur within an observable timescale for superheavy DM with masses greater than ${10}^6\mathrm{GeV}$ and nuclear scattering cross sections. The BHs may either accrete the planetary medium or evaporate via Hawking radiation, depending on the mass of the DM that formed them. We explore the possibility of periodic BH formation within the unconstrained DM parameter space and discuss potential detection methods, including observations of planetary-mass objects, pulsed high-energy cosmic rays, and variations in exoplanet temperatures. Our findings suggest that future extensive exoplanet observations could provide complementary opportunities to terrestrial and cosmological searches for superheavy DM.

We employ the Veneziano quantum chromodynamics (VQCD) model, a holographic approach that dynamically simulates essential QCD characteristics, including linear mass spectra, confinement, asymptotic freedom, and magnetic charge screening, while incorporating quark flavor effects. Using this model, we first calculate the proton mass spectrum and the wave function, incorporating anomalous dimensions to refine our results. Next, we compute the proton structure functions across a range of Bjorken $x$ values using consistent parameters. Furthermore, we derive the proton electromagnetic form factor by solving the electromagnetic field’s motion equation, accounting for background effects, and demonstrate qualitative consistency with results from free electromagnetic fields coupled to fermions. Finally, we calculate the gravitational form factors by introducing an effective graviton mass $m$ arising from chiral symmetry breaking and the proton energy-momentum tensor. Our calculations yield results that are in excellent agreement with experimental data and lattice QCD computations, validating the VQCD model as a robust tool for studying proton properties.

Electric charge conservation (ECC) is typically taken as an axiom in the standard model. Searching for small violations with high-performance experiments could lead us to new physics. In this work, we tested “invisible” electric charge nonconservation events with $1.16\mathrm{ton}·\mathrm{yr}$ electron recoil data from the XENONnT experiment. There was no statistically significant signal, and the limit was updated to $\tau (e^{-}\to {\nu }_e+{\overline{\nu }}_e+{\nu }_e)>8.0\times {10}^{27}\mathrm{yr}$ (90% confidence level). This work increases the limit by 2 orders of magnitude and shows that dark matter direct detection experiments have great potential for further ECC testing.

The use of experiments searching for light axion dark matter as high-frequency gravitational wave detectors has garnered increasing attention in recent years. We explore the capabilities of the Broadband Reflector Experiment for Axion Detection (BREAD) in probing the GW parameter space and study the directional dependence of its coverage. This detector can investigate frequencies ranging from 0.05 to 200 THz. We find that by employing single photon detectors, BREAD is sensitive to GWs with characteristic strains as low as ${10}^{-21}$ at 0.1 THz and ${10}^{-25}$ at 200 THz with a year exposure time, making it competitive with other proposals operating at similar frequencies.