High Energy Physics - Theory

arXiv:hep-th

Formal aspects of quantum field theory, string theory, supersymmetry, mathematical physics aspects of particle physics.

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Integrable Systems

These notes are based on lecture courses I gave to third year mathematics students at Cambridge. They could form a basis of an elementary one--term lecture course on integrable systems covering the Arnold-Liouville theorem, inverse scattering transform, Hamiltonian methods in soliton theory and Lie point symmetries. No knowledge beyond basic calculus and ordinary differential equation is assumed.

2601.04077

Jan 2026High Energy Physics - Theory

Black hole thermodynamics at null infinity. Part 2: Open systems, Markovian dynamics and work extraction from non-rotating black holes

Black hole thermodynamics provides a unique setting in which general relativity, quantum field theory, and statistical mechanics converge. In semiclassical gravity, this interplay culminates in the generalized second law (GSL), whose modern proofs rely on information theoretic techniques applied to algebras of observables defined on null hypersurfaces. These proofs exhibit close structural parallels with the thermodynamics of open quantum systems governed by Markovian dynamics. In this work, we draw parallels between the dynamics of quantum fields in regions bounded by non expanding causal horizons and the thermodynamics of quantum systems weakly coupled to equilibrium reservoirs. We introduce a dictionary relating late time boundary conditions to the choice of reservoir, vacuum states to fixed points of the dynamics, and modular Hamiltonians to thermodynamic potentials. Building on results from a companion paper on dual generalized second laws at future null infinity, we show that additional terms appearing in the associated thermodynamic potentials admit a natural interpretation as work contributions. We demonstrate that certain non thermal vacuum states at null infinity allow for the operation of autonomous thermal engines and enable work extraction from the radiation. Extending the analysis to the Unruh vacuum in Schwarzschild and Kerr backgrounds, we obtain generalized grand potential type laws incorporating grey body effects and angular momentum fluxes. Altogether, our results clarify the thermodynamic description of black hole dynamics and place it within the broader framework of open quantum thermodynamics.

2601.03356

Jan 2026High Energy Physics - Theory

$2+2=4$

Motivated by the observation that $2+2=4$, we consider four-dimensional $\mathcal{N}=2$ superconformal field theories on $S^2\timesΣ$, turning on a suitable rigid supergravity background. On the one hand, reduction of a four-dimensional theory ${T}$ on a Riemann surface $Σ$ leads to a family $\mathscr{F}[{T}, Σ]$ of two-dimensional $(2,2)$ unitary SCFTs, a two-dimensional analog of the four-dimensional theories of class $\mathscr{S}$. On the other hand, reduction on $S^2$ yields a non-unitary two-dimensional CFT $\mathscr{C}[{T}]$ whose chiral algebra is the same as the one associated to ${T}$ by the standard SCFT/VOA correspondence. This construction upgrades the vertex operator algebra to a full-fledged two-dimensional CFT. What's more, it leads to a novel 2d/2d correspondence, a "$2+2 = 4$" analog of the "$4+2=6$" AGT correspondence: the $S^2$ partition function of $\mathscr{F}[{T}; Σ]$ is computed by correlation functions of $\mathscr{C}[{T}]$ on $Σ$. The elliptic genus of $\mathscr{F}[{T}; Σ]$ is instead computed by a topological QFT $\mathscr{E}[T]$ on $Σ$. A central question is whether one can give a purely two-dimensional presentation of the family $\mathscr{F}[{T}; Σ]$ of $(2, 2)$ theories. We propose an algorithm to realize the $(2, 2)$ theories as gauged linear sigma models when ${T}$ is an Argyres-Douglas theory of type $(A_1, A_{2k})$ and $Σ$ an $n$-punctured sphere. We perform stringent checks of our conjecture for $k=1$ and $k=2$.

2601.00058

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

2601.00605

Effective field theory for dissipative photons from higher-form symmetries

Recent developments in generalized symmetries have provided new insights into quantum field theories. Within this framework, photons can be understood as Nambu-Goldstone modes associated with a spontaneously broken higher-form symmetry. In this work, we develop an effective field theory that builds on this symmetry structure to describe the real-time dynamics of photons in insulating media at finite temperature. Combining the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism with the generalized coset construction, we formulate a symmetry-based effective action that incorporates both conservative and dissipative effects. The effective theory implements the dynamical Kubo-Martin-Schwinger symmetry, ensuring consistency with the fluctuation-dissipation relation and Onsager's reciprocal relations. Within this framework, we derive the entropy current associated with dissipative photon dynamics and demonstrate the non-negativity of its divergence, in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics. We also clarify the symmetry origin of the gauge redundancy in the unbroken phase within the Schwinger-Keldysh framework, relating it to strong and weak realizations of higher-form symmetries. Our results provide a model-independent effective description of photon dynamics in insulating media at finite temperature.

2601.00605

Jan 2026High Energy Physics - Theory

Diagnosing Critical Behavior in AdS Einstein-Maxwell-Scalar Theory via Holographic Entanglement Measures

We investigate the holographic mixed-state entanglement measures in the Einstein-Maxwell-Scalar (EMS) theory. Several quantities are computed, including the holographic entanglement entropy (HEE), mutual information (MI), entanglement wedge cross-section (EWCS), and butterfly velocity ($v_B$). Our findings demonstrate that these measures can effectively diagnose phase transitions. Notably, EWCS and MI, as mixed-state entanglement measures, exhibit behavior opposite to that of the HEE. Additionally, we study the butterfly velocity, a dynamic quantum information measure, and observe that it behaves differently from the static quantum information measures. We propose that the butterfly velocity is initially dominated by entanglement and subsequently by thermal entropy as the coupling constant increases. Moreover, we examine the scaling behavior of the holographic entanglement measures and find that all the critical exponents are equal to $1$, which is twice that of the scalar field. We also explore the inequality between EWCS and MI, noting that the growth rate of MI consistently exceeds that of EWCS during phase transitions. These features are expected to be universal across thermodynamic phase transitions, with the inequalities becoming more significant as one moves away from the critical point.

2601.00069

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

2601.00662

Extended BMS representations and strings

We construct in detail the irreducible representations of the BMS group with super rotations in three and four dimensions that have the same rest frame momenta as the massive and massless Poincare point particles. We compare these representations to those of the Poincare group and also to the analogous representations of global BMS. We argue that these extended BMS representations are carried by a string rather than a point particle. The super rotations play a crucial role in our discussions.

2601.00662

Jan 2026High Energy Physics - Theory

The JLMS formula in a large code with approximate error correction

Gauge/gravity duality is often described as a quantum error correcting code. However, as seen in the Jafferis-Lewkowycz-Maldacena-Suh (JLMS) formula, exact quantum error correction with complementary recovery (and thus entanglement wedge reconstruction) emerges only in the limit $G \to 0$. As a result, precise arguments controlling error terms have focused on what we call `small' codes which, as $G \to 0$, describe only perturbative excitations near a given classical solution. Such settings are quite restrictive and, in particular, they prohibit discussion of any modular flow that would change the classical background. As a result, they forbid consideration of modular flows generated by semiclassical bulk states at order-one modular parameters. In contrast, we present a single `large' code for the bulk theory that can accommodate such flows and, in particular, in the $G \to 0$ limit includes superpositions of states associated with distinct classical backgrounds. This large code is assembled from small codes that each satisfy an approximate Faulkner-Lewkowycz-Maldacena formula. In this extended setting we clarify the meaning of the (approximate) JLMS relation between bulk and boundary modular Hamiltonians and quantify its validity in an appropriate class of states.

2601.004421

Jan 2026High Energy Physics - Theory

Introduction to black hole thermodynamics

These are the lecture notes for a course at the "Roberto Salmeron School in Mathematical Physics" held at the University of Brasilia in September 2025, to be published in the proceedings book "Modern topics in mathematical physics." The course provides a concise and biased introduction to black hole thermodynamics. It covers the laws of black hole mechanics, Hawking radiation, Euclidean quantum gravity methods, and AdS black holes.

2512.24929

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

Correlators are simpler than wavefunctions

Several recent works have revealed a simplicity in equal-time correlators that is absent in their wavefunction counterparts. In this letter, we show that this arises from the simple fact that the correlator is obtained by integrating Feynman propagators over the full spacetime, as opposed to the half-space for the wavefunction. Several striking new properties of correlators for any graph are made obvious from this picture. Certain patterns of poles that appear in the wavefunction do not appear in the correlator. The correlator also enjoys several remarkable factorization properties in various limits. Most strikingly, the correlator admits a systematic Laurent expansion in the neighborhood of every pole, with the first subleading term vanishing for every pole. There is an especially simple understanding of the expansion around the total energy pole up to second order, given by a differential operator acting on the amplitude. Finally, we show how these results extend beyond single graphs to the full correlator in Tr $φ^3$ theory.

2512.237951

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

Energy correlators in four-dimensional gravity

We investigate energy correlators in four-dimensional gravitational theories, which provide a simple class of infrared-finite observables. We compute the one- and two-point energy correlators at one loop in $\mathcal{N}=8$ supergravity and in pure Einstein gravity, with particular emphasis on the contact terms arising from the interplay between virtual corrections and real emissions. We explicitly demonstrate the cancellation of infrared divergences and verify the Ward identities associated with energy-momentum conservation. In the back-to-back limit, we derive an all-order expression for the energy-energy correlator, showing that it is governed by universal soft-graviton dynamics. We further introduce a particularly simple beam-averaged energy-energy correlator and compute it in different gravitational theories, including tree-level string theory. The resulting correlators exhibit analyticity and polynomial boundedness, allowing for the formulation of dispersion relations, which we explore. Finally, we discuss additional singularities of the gravitational energy correlators, absent in QCD, that originate from the long-range nature of the gravitational interactions.

2512.23791

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

Quantum dynamics of perfect fluids

We study the quantum field theory of zero temperature perfect fluids. Such systems are defined by quantizing a classical field theory of scalar fields $φ^I$ that act as Lagrange coordinates on an internal spatial manifold of fluid configurations. Invariance under volume preserving diffeomorphisms acting on these scalars implies that the long-wavelength spectrum contains vortex (transverse modes) with exact $ω_T=0$ dispersion relation. As a result, physically interpreting the perturbative quantization of this theory by standard methods has proven to be challenging. In this paper, we show that correlators evaluated in the class of semi-classical (Gaussian) initial states prepared at $t=0$ are well-defined and accessible via perturbation theory. The width of the initial state effectively acts as an infrared regulator without explicitly breaking diffeomorphism invariance. As an application, we compute stress tensor two-point correlators and show that vortex modes give a non-trivial contribution to the response function, non-local in both space and time.

2512.23793

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

Generalized Level-Rank Duality, Holomorphic Conformal Field Theory, and Non-Invertible Anyon Condensation

We study the interplay between holomorphic conformal field theory and dualities of 3D topological quantum field theories generalizing the paradigm of level-rank duality. A holomorphic conformal field theory with a Kac-Moody subalgebra implies a topological interface between Chern-Simons gauge theories. Upon condensing a suitable set of anyons, such an interface yields a duality between topological field theories. We illustrate this idea using the $c=24$ holomorphic theories classified by Schellekens, which leads to a list of novel sporadic dualities. Some of these dualities necessarily involve condensation of anyons with non-abelian statistics, i.e. gauging non-invertible one-form global symmetries. Several of the examples we discover generalize from $c=24$ to an infinite series. This includes the fact that Spin$(n^{2})_{2}$ is dual to a twisted dihedral group gauge theory. Finally, if $-1$ is a quadratic residue modulo $k$, we deduce the existence of a sequence of holomorphic CFTs at central charge $c=2(k-1)$ with fusion category symmetry given by $\mathrm{Spin}(k)_{2}$ or equivalently, the $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$-equivariantization of a Tambara-Yamagami fusion category.

2512.24419

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

2512.25005

Grassmannian Geometries for Non-Planar On-Shell Diagrams

On-shell diagrams are gauge invariant quantities which play an important role in the description of scattering amplitudes. Based on the principles of generalized unitarity, they are given by products of elementary three-point amplitudes where the kinematics of internal on-shell legs are determined by cut conditions. In the ${\cal N}=4$ Super Yang-Mills (SYM) theory, the dual formulation for on-shell diagrams produces the same quantities as canonical forms on the Grassmannian $G(k,n)$. Most of the work in this direction has been devoted to the planar diagrams, which dominate in the large $N$ limit of gauge theories. On the mathematical side, planar on-shell diagrams correspond to cells of the positive Grassmannian $G_+(k,n)$ which have been very extensively studied in the literature in the past 20 years. In this paper, we focus on the non-planar on-shell diagrams which are relevant at finite $N$. In particular, we use the triplet formulation of Maximal-Helicity-Violating (MHV) on-shell diagrams to obtain certain regions in the Grassmannian $G(2,n)$. These regions are unions of positive Grassmannians with different orderings (referred to as oriented regions). We explore the features of these unions, and show that they are pseudo-positive geometries, in contrast to positive geometry of a single oriented region. For all non-planar diagrams which are \emph{internally planar} there always exists a strongly connected geometry, and for those that are \emph{irreducible}, there exists a geometry with no spurious facets. We also prove that the already known identity moves, square and sphere moves, form the complete set of identity moves for all MHV on-shell diagrams.

2512.25005

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

2512.19370

From $\mathrm{d} \! \log$ to $\mathrm{d} \mathcal{E}$: Canonical Elliptic Integrands and Modular Symbol Letters with Pure eMPLs

We propose '$\mathrm{d} \mathcal{E}$-forms' as fundamental building blocks of canonical integrands for elliptic Feynman integrals, which lead to Kronecker-Eisenstein $ω$-form symbol letters. Built upon pure elliptic multiple polylogarithms, they provide a natural extension of the '$\mathrm{d} \! \log$-form' integrands and $\mathrm{d} \! \log$ letters for polylogarithmic cases. By introducing an extended basis treating all marked points equally, we manifest a hidden symmetry structure in the canonical connection matrix, and demonstrate its covariance under modular transformations. Our result provides a novel perspective on describing canonical bases and symbol letters in a unified language of pure functions.

2512.19370

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

Holographic Tensor Networks as Tessellations of Geometry

Holographic tensor networks serve as toy models for the Anti-de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence, capturing many of its essential features in a concrete manner. However, existing holographic tensor network models remain far from a complete theory of quantum gravity. A key obstacle is their discrete structure, which only approximates the semi-classical geometry of gravity in a qualitative sense. In \cite{Lin:2024dho}, it was shown that a network of partial-entanglement-entropy (PEE) threads, which are bulk geodesics with a specific density distribution, generates a perfect tessellation of AdS space. Moreover, such PEE-network tessellations can be constructed for more general geometries using the Crofton formula. In this paper, we assign a quantum state to each vertex in the PEE network and develop two holographic tensor network models: the factorized PEE tensor network, which takes the form of a tensor product of EPR pairs, and the random PEE tensor network. In both models we reproduce the exact Ryu-Takayanagi formula by showing that the minimal number of cuts along a homologous surface in the network exactly computes the area of this surface.

2512.19452

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

Exotic Branes and Symmetries of String Theory

Are duality transformations symmetries of string theory? For AdS space-time the answer is no for generic asymptotic values of the moduli, since the duality symmetry is broken explicitly in the dual conformal field theory. In contrast, in string theory in flat space-time, monodromy around codimension two exotic branes show that duality transformations are spontaneously broken discrete gauge symmetries with observable consequences, provided macroscopic loops of these branes are not hidden behind an event horizon. We discuss how this can be achieved and how the situation in flat space-time differs from that in AdS space-time. We also discuss observability of codimension two non-BPS branes and codimension one BPS and non-BPS branes.

2512.19068

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

2512.19498

Six-loop gravitational interactions at the sixth post-Newtonian order

We compute the gravitational interaction of two coalescing compact objects at sixth post-Newtonian order in the static limit, employing the diagrammatic approach within the effective field theory framework of General Relativity. The calculation requires the evaluation of six-loop Feynman diagrams that are mapped onto two-point integrals with a gauge-theory-like structure, which are computed here for the first time. The resulting seventh-order contribution in Newton's constant is finite in three space dimensions. This result provides the most technically demanding missing ingredient for the determination of the conservative dynamics of the gravitational two-body system at sixth post-Newtonian order.

2512.19498

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

2512.13650

Why do we Need Observers? Spontaneous Breaking of Time-Reversal in de Sitter Space

In this paper I explain the relation between the need for observers in de Sitter space and the spontaneous breakdown of time-reversal symmetry.

2512.13650

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

On the physical running of the electric charge in a dimensionless theory of gravity

We revisit the renormalization of the gauge coupling in massless QED coupled to a scaleless quadratic theory of gravity. We compare two alternative prescriptions for the running of the electric charge: (i) the conventional $μ$-running in minimal subtraction, and (ii) a ''physical'' running extracted from the logarithmic dependence of amplitudes on a hard scale $Q^{2}$ (e.g., $p^{2}$ or a Mandelstam invariant) after removing IR effects. At one loop, using dimensional regularization with an IR mass regulator $m$, we compute the photon vacuum polarization. We find a clean separation between UV and soft logarithms: the former is gauge and process independent and fixes the beta function, whereas the latter encodes nonlocal, IR-dominated contributions that may depend on gauge parameters and must not be interpreted as UV running. In the quadratic-gravity sector, the photon self-energy is UV finite--the $\lnμ^{2}$ pieces cancel--leaving only $\ln(Q^{2}/m^{2})$ soft logs. Consequently, quadratic gravity does not modify the one-loop UV coefficient and thus does not alter $β(e)$. Therefore, the physical running coincides with the $μ$-running in QED at one loop. Our analysis clarifies how to extract a gauge and process independent running in the presence of gravitational interactions and why soft logs from quadratic gravity should not contribute to $β(e)$.

2512.11742

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

2512.11628

A note on half-integer irregular representations of Virasoro algebra

We study irregular representations of Virasoro algebra associated with half-integer order singularities, which arise naturally in the 2d CFT description of Argyres-Douglas theories of type $(A_1, A_{\text{even}})$ and $(A_1, D_{\text{odd}})$. While integer-rank irregular states admit a well-established free-field construction, the half-integer case is more subtle due to the presence of branch cuts. In this note, we present two equivalent constructions of half-integer irregular representations. The first one is based on a $\mathbb{Z}_2$-twisted free boson, which is motivated from the monodromy structure of Hitchin system. The second one employs a recursion relation of the Virasoro eigenvalues recently proposed in the literature. We explicitly demonstrate the equivalence of these two parameterization schemes at rank $3/2$ and $5/2$. Our analysis clarifies the structure of half-integer irregular modules and provides tools for computing the corresponding irregular states relevant for Argyres-Douglas theories.

2512.11628

Dec 2025High Energy Physics - Theory

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High Energy Physics - Phenomenology General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology Mathematical Physics Quantum Physics High Energy Physics - Lattice

18,415 papers

2601.04162

2d Conformal Field Theories on Magic Triangle

The magic triangle due to Cvitanović and Deligne--Gross is an extension of the Freudenthal--Tits magic square of semisimple Lie algebras. In this paper, we identify all 2d rational conformal field theories associated to the magic triangle. These include various Wess--Zumino--Witten (WZW) models, Virasoro minimal models, compact bosons and their non-diagonal modular invariants. At level one, we find a two-parameter family of modular linear differential equation of fourth order whose solutions produce the affine characters of all elements in the magic triangle. We find a universal coset relation for the whole triangle which generalizes the dual pairs with respect to $(E_8)_1$ in the Cvitanović--Deligne exceptional series. This leads to the dimension and degeneracy of each primary field and also to five atomic models which constitute all theories in the triangle. At level two, we find a special row of the triangle -- the subexceptional series has novel $N=1$ supersymmetry, and the Neveu--Schwarz/Ramond characters satisfy a one-parameter family of fermionic modular linear differential equations. Moreover, we find many new coset constructions involving WZW models at higher levels.

2601.04162Jan 2026

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Freelance Fluid/Gravity Correspondence, 3d Analysis

Freelance holography program is an extension of gauge/gravity correspondence, where the gravity theory is defined on a portion of AdS with an arbitrary timelike boundary, with any desired boundary conditions. It is also known that gauge/gravity correspondence admits a fluid/gravity correspondence limit, where the gauge theory side is well described by a fluid. In this work, combining the two, we work through ``freelance fluid/gravity''. In particular, we study in detail the 2d fluid (3d Einstein gravity) case, where one has a good analytical control over the bulk equations due to their integrability and absence of viscosity in the 2d fluid. We study consistency and validity requirements for the freelance fluid/gravity and how the fluid changes along the renormalization group (RG) flow. We prove the $v_g$-theorem, stating that the group velocity of fluid waves $v_g$ is a decreasing function as we move toward the infrared region along the RG flow, regardless of the adopted boundary conditions. We also study examples of holographic fluid with various asymptotic boundary conditions.

2601.04115Jan 2026

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Integrable Systems

2601.04077Jan 2026

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Renormalizable and unitary nonlocal quantum field theory with CPT violation and its implication

It is a common belief that any relativistic nonlocal quantum field theory encounters either the problem of renormalizability or unitarity or both of them. It is also known that any local relativistic quantum field theory (QFT) possesses the CPT symmetry. In this Letter we show that a previously proposed nonlocal Lorentz invariant QFT, which violates the CPT theorem, is both renormalizable and unitary, thus being a first presented example in the literature of such a nonlocal theory. The theory satisfies the requirement of causality as well. A further generalization of such a nonlocal QFT to include the gauge theories is also envisaged. In particular, dressing such a Standard Model with a CP violating phase, will make the theory satisfying most of the necessary criteria to finally explain the baryon asymmetry of the universe by a viable QFT. As for the necessity of baryon number violation, there are hopefully several possibilities such as by GUT and electroweak baryogenesis, leptogenesis or sphalerons.

2601.04037Jan 2026

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Chern-Simons-like formulation of 3D MMG-like massive gravity models

We investigate the Chern-Simons-like formulation of 3D MMG-like massive gravity models that are "third-way consistent". Building on previous work on exotic massive gravities, we analyze a class of MMG-like theories characterized by a specific parity structure and an auxiliary field hierarchy. Focusing on the simplest non-trivial case, we solve the full set of field equations, determine the AdS background solutions, compute the central charges of the dual CFT, and perform a linearized analysis to obtain the mass spectrum. Along the chiral line, the linearized mass operator develops a rank-2 Jordan block, signaling logarithmic behavior of massive modes in the dual two-dimensional CFT. At a special degenerate point, this structure is enhanced to a rank-3 Jordan block, giving rise to two logarithmic partners and an ultra-logarithmic sector in the boundary theory.

2601.03936Jan 2026

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2601.03879

Defects in N=1 minimal models and RG flows

Utilising the symmetry constraints of suitable topological defects, the possible RG flows of N=1 superconformal minimal models are studied. We first employ a coset description that only captures the bosonic subalgebra, and then generalise the discussion to the actual superconformal models.

2601.03879Jan 2026

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A glimpse into the Ultrametric spectrum

The non-relativistic string spectrum is built from integer-spaced energy quanta in such a way that the high-temperature asymptotics, via the Hardy-Ramanujan formula for integer partitions, reduces to standard two-dimensional thermodynamics. Here we explore deformed realizations of this behavior motivated by $p$-adic string theory and Lorentzian versions thereof with a non-trivial spectrum. We study the microstate scaling that results on associating quantum harmonic oscillators to the normal modes of tree-graphs rather than string graphs and observe that Hardy-Ramanujan scaling is not realized. But by computing the eigenvalues of the derivative operator on the $p$-adic circle and by determining the eigenspectrum of the Neumann-to-Dirichlet operator, we uncover a spectrum of exponentially growing energies but with exponentially growing degeneracies balanced in such a way that Hardy-Ramanujan scaling is realized, but modulated with log-periodic fluctuations.

2601.03738Jan 2026

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Scalar vacuum densities on Beltrami pseudosphere

We investigate the combined effects of spatial curvature and topology on the properties of the vacuum state for a charged scalar field localized on the (2+1)-dimensional Beltrami pseudosphere, assuming that the field obeys quasiperiodicity condition with constant phase. As important local characteristics of the vacuum state the vacuum expectation values (VEVs) of the field squared and energy-momentum tensor are evaluated. The contributions in the VEVs coming from geometry with an uncompactified azimuthal coordinate are divergent, whereas the compact counterparts are finite and are analysed both numerically and asymptotically. For small values of proper radius of the compactified dimension, the leading terms of topological contributions are independent of the field mass and curvature coupling parameter, increasing by a power-law. In the opposite limit, the VEVs decay following a power-law in the general case. In the special case of a conformally coupled massless field the behavior is different. Unlike the VEV of field squared and vacuum energy density, the radial and azimuthal stresses are increasing by absolute value. As a consequence, the effects of nontrivial topology are strong for the stresses in this case at small values of radial coordinate.

2601.03732Jan 2026

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2601.03631

Real-time Gravitational Wave Response in Thermal Spinning fields

We study how the spin content of the thermal plasmas affects the propagation of gravitational waves in a radiation-dominated universe. As a simple but representative setup, we consider conformal scalar, Weyl fermion, and Maxwell fields that provide the background radiation, and we ask whether the resulting damping and phase shift of gravitational waves retain any memory of their spins. We revisit this question in a real-time quantum-field-theoretic framework, where the stress tensor splits into a background part, a dynamical (history-dependent) response, and local contact terms, with an additional on-shell projection fixed by the Friedmann equation. We find that the dynamical spin-dependent response arises on a short time scale characterized by the radiation temperature, which is exactly canceled by the local responses. As a result, the remaining long-time response is universal and consistent with kinetic theory in the hard thermal limit. Although the underlying mechanism exhibits strong spin dependence, it leaves no observable imprint on the large-scale effective dynamics of gravitational waves in this setup.

2601.03631Jan 2026

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All loop soft photon theorems and higher spin currents on the celestial sphere

Soft factorization theorems can be reinterpreted as Ward identities for (asymptotic) symmetries of scattering amplitudes in asymptotically flat space-time. In this paper we study the symmetries implied by the all loop soft photon theorems when all external particles are massless. Loop level soft theorems are qualitatively different from the tree level soft theorems because loop level soft factors contain multi-particle sums. If we want to interpret them as Ward identities then we need to introduce additional fields which live on the celestial sphere but do not appear as asymptotic states in any scattering experiment. For example, if we want to interpret the one-loop exact $O(\lnω)$ soft theorem for a positive helicity soft photon (with energy $ω$) as a Ward identity then we need to introduce a pair of antiholomorphic currents on the celestial sphere which transform as a doublet under the $SL(2,\mathbb{R})_{R}$. We call them dipole currents because the corresponding charges measure the monopole and the dipole moment of an electrically charged particle on the celestial sphere. More generally, the soft photon theorem at $O(ω^{2j-1}(\lnω)^{2j})$ for every $j\in \frac{1}{2}\mathbb{Z}_+$ gives rise to $(2j+1)$ antiholomorphic currents which transform in the spin-$j$ representation of the $SL(2,\mathbb{R})_{R}$. These currents exist in the quantum theory because they follow from loop level soft theorems. We argue that under certain circumstances the (classical) algebra of the higher spin currents is the wedge subalgebra of the $w_{1+\infty}$.

2601.03361Jan 2026

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Black hole thermodynamics at null infinity. Part 2: Open systems, Markovian dynamics and work extraction from non-rotating black holes

2601.03356Jan 2026

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Black hole thermodynamics at null infinity. Part 1: Dual Generalized Second Law

The generalized second law (GSL) of black hole thermodynamics asserts the monotonic increase of the generalized entropy combining the black hole area and the entropy of quantum fields outside the horizon. Modern proofs of the GSL rely on information theoretic methods and are typically formulated using algebras of observables defined on the event horizon together with a vacuum state invariant under horizon symmetries, inducing a geometric modular flow. In this work, we formulate a dual version of the generalized second law from the perspective of asymptotic observers at future null infinity, who do not have access to the black hole area. Our approach exploits the dependence of the second law on the choice of algebra of observables and of a reference state invariant under suitable symmetries, in close analogy with open quantum thermodynamics. Using algebraic quantum field theory and modular theory, we analyze several physically motivated vacuum states, including the Hartle Hawking state and two classes of regularized vacua. We show that, at null infinity, the monotonic quantity governing an irreversible evolution is no longer the generalized entropy, but rather a thermodynamic potential constructed from asymptotic observables. Depending on the chosen vacuum, this potential takes the form of the free energy or of a generalized grand potential built from the Bondi mass and additional (angular) mode dependent chemical potentials. The resulting inequalities define a dual generalized second law at future null infinity, which can be consistently combined with the standard GSL involving variations of the black hole area.

2601.03353Jan 2026

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Non-perturbative data for Weil-Petersson volumes and intersection numbers using ordinary differential equations

Recently, a new method was introduced for computing $V_{g,1}(b)$, the Weil-Petersson volumes of the moduli space of Riemann surfaces of genus $g$ with one geodesic boundary of length $b$, various supersymmetric generalizations of them, as well as analogous quantities in intersection theory. The physical setting is the computation of a certain one-point function in a variety of models of 2D gravity for which there is a double-scaled random matrix model (RMM) description. The method combines perturbative solutions of two ordinary differential equations (ODEs), the Gel'fand-Dikii resolvent equation, and the RMM's string equation. In this paper, we extend the method to extract non-perturbative information about the $V_{g,1}(b)$ (and their analogues) that is naturally contained in the full ODEs, providing an efficient prescription for computing the transseries coefficients of the one-point correlation function, fully incorporating ZZ-brane and FZZT-brane effects, and for the first time, mixed ZZ-FZZT-effects. We use as a case study the (2,3) minimal string, computing perturbative and non-perturbative quantities, comparing them to perturbative results from topological recursion, and to results from the recent non-perturbative topological recursion framework of Eynard et.al. As a particularly powerful further application we provide general predictions for the large order in $g$ growth of $V_{g,1}(b)$, and apply them to JT gravity, finding agreement with known results, and for analogous quantities in ${N} {=} 1$ JT supergravity, proving a conjecture of Stanford and Witten. Our predictions yield new growth formulae for the cases of ${N} {=} 2$ and ${N}{=}4$ JT supergravity.

2601.03351Jan 2026

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2601.03342

Curvatures and Non-metricities in the Non-Relativistic Limit of Bosonic Supergravity

We construct a diffeomorphism-covariant formulation of the non-relativistic (NR) limit of bosonic supergravity. This formulation is particularly useful for decomposing relativistic tensors, such as powers of the Riemann tensor, in a manifest covariant form with respect to the NR degrees of freedom. The construction is purely geometrical and is based on a torsionless connection. The non-metricities are associated with the gravitational fields of the theory, $τ_{μν}, h_{μν}, τ^{μν}$ and $h^{μν}$, and are fixed by requiring compatibility with the relativistic metric. We provide a fully covariant decomposition of the relativistic Riemann tensor, Ricci tensor, and scalar curvature. Our results establish an equivalence between the proposed construction and the intrinsic torsion framework of string Newton-Cartan geometry. We also discuss potential applications, including a manifestly diffeomorphism-covariant rewriting of the two-derivative finite bosonic supergravity Lagrangian under the NR limit, a powerful simplification in deriving bosonic $α'$-corrections under the same limit, and extensions to more general $f(R,Q)$ Newton-Cartan geometries.

2601.03342Jan 2026

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2601.03336

On the Flux Sectors of Matrix String Theory

We analyze the gapped flux vacua of 2D (8,8) SU(N) super-Yang-Mills theory. Based on the matrix string theory duality, we conjecture the spectrum of massive resonances in the gauge theory at large N and beyond the 't Hooft scaling regime.

2601.03336Jan 2026

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Multipartite Non-local Magic and SYK Model

We investigate the structure of quantum magic in interacting disordered fermionic systems, quantifying non-stabilizerness via the fermionic stabilizer Rényi entropy (SRE). To resolve the distribution of magic across different scales, we introduce a multipartite non-local magic functional, constructed from an inclusion-exclusion combination of subsystem contributions. This measure serves as a fine-grained diagnostic, isolating genuinely global contributions and revealing nontrivial interactions between local and collective supports of magic. We illustrate the measure on paradigmatic multipartite states and apply these diagnostics to the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model and its variants. Crucially, for thermal/typical ensembles, we observe a marked disparity between Thermal Pure Quantum (TPQ) states and the thermal density matrix. This reveals a concealed complexity: the immense computational hardness characterizing the unitary evolution is encoded in the specific microstructure of the black hole microstates, while being washed out in the coarse-grained thermodynamic description. Furthermore, in $\mathcal N=2$ supersymmetric SYK, we show that while fortuitous BPS states exhibit intermediate stabilizer complexity, the multipartite measure unveils a rich, sector-dependent pattern of global correlations, distinguishing them from generic chaotic states.

2601.03076Jan 2026

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Spectral and Phase Structure of a QCD-Inspired Unitary Matrix Model with Fisher-Hartwig Singularities

We investigate the large $N$ limit of a complex action unitary matrix model with Fisher-Hartwig singularities, motivated by QCD-inspired models with complexified potentials. We show that the model exhibits multiple ungapped phases and a single gapped phase. The phases are characterized by Fisher-Hartwig singularities in the complex plane. We show that the phase transitions are third order, with transitions between ungapped phases forbidden. We also briefly discuss the implications for the QCD phase diagram at the end.

2601.02953Jan 2026

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Bootstrapping the Finiteness of Leigh-Strassler Deformations and Uncovering Hidden Symmetries

In this paper, we follow a Bootstrap-like approach to determine the most restricted form the finiteness constraint $\mathcal{F}(q,g,h,κ)$, which relates the four parameters of $\mathcal{N}=1$ Leigh-Strassler (LS) deformed models, by imposing mathematical and physical conditions. Focusing first on real parameters, we apply these conditions, together with a new symmetry of the superpotential we named ``q-symmetry'', to strongly constrains $\mathcal{F}$. Imposing only these mathematical conditions is enough, for example, to reproduces the \textit{structure} of the one-loop correction and the \textit{exact result} in the planar limit, which are known from the literature. Extending the analysis to complex parameters, we develop a similar method to obtain the more restricted form of $\mathcal{F}$, though the complex case obscures expansions in ``q-invariant'' variables. We also show how an additional pair $(q,h)$ of integrable deformations arises via q-invariance, and verify that the transformed R-matrix satisfies the Yang-Baxter equation. Moreover, we make two ansatz for the coefficients left in free in the finiteness $\mathcal{F}$ for the real parameters, and while it has some defects, it reveals interesting results when compared with literature: the first predicts the pair of integrable deformations derived in \cite{Mansson2010}, while the second ansatz gives the first correction only at fourth loop order $κ^8$ \cite{Mansson2010}, which is known to be true in the planar limit. Furthermore, we study the impact of this symmetry on the algebra of the deformed XXZ spin chain and the moduli-vacuum of LS, and find a gauge/gravity interpretation when $h=0$ for the q-symmetry, obtaining the simplest relation between $k$ (from TsT) and $β$ ($q = \exp(πi β)$) to be linear, in agreement with known results for the Lunin-Maldacena-Frolov deformation \cite{Frolov_2005,Lunin_2005}.

2601.02692Jan 2026

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Massive $U(1)$ gauge field and their accompanying scalars in brane world

In brane-world scenarios, the effective action of a massless bulk $U(1)$ gauge field preserves gauge invariance via couplings between massive vector Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes and scalar KK modes. In this work, we extend this framework by introducing a term $(\nabla^M X_M)^2$ into the massless bulk $U(1)$ gauge action. This modification explicitly breaks the full gauge redundancy while preserving a residual gauge symmetry both in the bulk and on the brane. In this setup, the scalar KK modes can acquire masses from the background geometry. Notably, we find that on the 5D brane, these scalar KK modes are lighter than the vector KK modes. In contrast, on the 6D brane, two types of scalar modes emerge; the mixed interactions between them give rise to oscillations among these scalar modes.

2601.02626Jan 2026

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2601.02625

A note on dualities of F(4) type 3d N = 5 SCFTs

We suggest a new duality between a pair of 3d N = 5 SCFTs, one of ABJ type and one based on the exceptional superalgebra F (4). Our main evidence for the proposed duality is the matching of the superconformal index. In addition to the intrinsic interest in dualities between strongly coupled field theories, the result can also be useful in the classification of 3d N = 5 SCFTs.

2601.02625Jan 2026

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