We investigate the dynamics of eccentric binary pulsars embedded in dark matter environments. While previous studies have primarily focused on circular orbits in collisionless dark matter halos, we extend this framework to eccentric systems and explore their interaction with ultralight scalar fields. Adopting a perturbative approach, we compute the modifications to the orbital period induced by dark matter-driven dynamical friction. Our results show that orbital eccentricity amplifies the imprints of non-vacuum environments on binary dynamics, underscoring the potential of such systems as sensitive probes for dark matter signatures.

Recently, it has been shown that a quantum system held in spatial superposition and then eventually recombined does experience decoherence from black hole horizons, at a level increasing linearly with the time the superposition has been kept open. In this, the effects of the horizon have been derived using a classical spacetime picture for the latter. In the present note we point out that quantum aspects of the geometry itself of the quantum black hole could significantly affect the results. In a specific effective implementation of the quantum geometry in terms of a minimal length and ensuing minimal area, it appears in particular that, for selected values of the quantum of area proposed on various grounds in the literature, the decoherence induced by the horizon turns out to be limited to negligibly small values.

Einstein-Maxwell theory has powerful solution generating techniques which include Harrison transformations in the Ernst formalism. We construct generalized Harrison transformations that preserve the purely magnetic or purely electric sector in Einstein-ModMax (EMM) theory. Thus, they serve as solution generating techniques within these sectors for this model of non-linear electrodynamics minimally coupled to gravity. As an application we rederive several known exact solutions of EMM and a new solution, black diholes, describing two extremal BHs in equilibrium, with opposite magnetic charges, whose attraction is balanced by their embedding in the Melvin magnetic universe of this model. As a further generalization, we consider Einstein-dilaton-ModMax theory, and provide the extremal charged BHs and black diholes also in this model.

Black hole evaporation is one of the most striking phenomena at the interface between gravity and quantum physics. In Hawking's semi-classical treatment, where matter is quantum mechanical and the spacetime is definite and classical, evaporation leads to an apparent loss of unitarity of the overall evolution, and to the so-called black hole information paradox. Here, we go beyond this semi-classical treatment and formulate a toy quantum model of black hole evaporation that allows the black hole to evolve into a superposition of being fully evaporated and not fully evaporated, consistent with the Hawking particles being in a coherent superposition of different energy levels. We model Hawking particle production by the repeated action of quantum-controlled unitaries, generating emission from the quantum black hole and accounting for a quantum coherent back-reaction on the black hole matter state. We show that the probability of full annihilation of the black hole matter increases with time until the black hole is, asymptotically, fully evaporated in every branch of the quantum superposition. We prove that under natural assumptions, this evaporation model is unitary, such that the initial state can in principle be recovered from the final asymptotic state of the radiation.

In our previous papers we have analyzed the stability of vacuum and electrovacuum static, spherically symmetric space-times in the framework of the Bergmann-Wagoner-Nordtvedt class of scalar-tensor theories (STT) of gravity. In the present paper, we continue this study by examining the stability of exceptional solutions of the Brans-Dicke theory with the coupling constant $\omega =0$ that were not covered in the previous studies. Such solutions describe neutral or charged wormholes and involve a conformal continuation: the standard conformal transformation maps the whole Einstein-frame manifold ${\mathbb M}_E$ to only a part of the Jordan-frame manifold ${\mathbb M}_J$, which has to be continued beyond the emerging regular boundary S, and the new region maps to another manifold ${\mathbb M}_{E-}$. The metric in ${\mathbb M}_J$ is symmetric with respect to S only if the charge $q$ is zero. Our stability study concerns radial (monopole) perturbations, and it is shown that the wormhole is stable if $q \ne 0$ and unstable only in the symmetric case $q=0$

We study two scalarizations of magnetically charged black holes in the Einstein-Gauss-Bonnet-scalar theory with the nonlinear electrodynamics (NED) term. For this purpose, two scalar coupling functions $f_1(\phi)$ and $f_2(\phi)$ are introduced to couple to Gauss-Bonnet (GB) and NED terms. The bald black hole is described by mass ($M$) and action parameter ($\alpha$) with magnetic charge ($P$), which becomes the quantum Oppenheimer-Snyder black hole for $P=M$ whose action is still unknown. We derive Smarr formula which describes a correct thermodynamics for the charged black hole. Two Davies points of heat capacity are not identified with two critical onset mass and action parameter for GB$^-$ scalarization with $f_1(\phi)$. Furthermore, the shadow radius analysis of charged black hole is performed to include naked singularities and it is compared to the EHT observation. There is no constraints on the action parameter, whereas new mass constraints are found. Finally, the NED$^+$ spontaneous scalarization with $f_2(\phi)$ leads to infinite branches of scalarized charged black holes.

In this work we study a scale invariant gravity theory containing two scalar fields, dust particles and a measure defined from degrees of freedom independent of the metric. The integration of the degrees of freedom that define the measure spontaneously break the scale symmetry, leaving us in the Einstein frame with an effective potential that is dependent on the density of the particles. The potential contains three flat regions, one for inflation, another for early dark energy and the third for late dark energy. At a certain point, as the matter dilutes, tunneling from the early dark energy to the late dark energy can start efficiently. This mechanism naturally alleviated the observed Hubble tension by modifying the sound horizon prior to recombination while preserving late-time cosmology. Moreover, the model predictions are consistent with observations from the reduced CMB, BAO, and local measurement of $H_0$, providing a coherent and unified description of the universe. In this context, the Bayesian analysis of these datasets confirms the viability of our scenario, with the best-fit parameters indicating an early dark energy fraction of approximately 30$\%$ at a redshift of $z'=5000$.

We present a "dictionary" to expedite the identification of potential deviations in gravitational waveforms from those predicted by General Relativity (GR) during the inspiral phase of black hole binaries. Assuming deviations from GR can be described by a local Effective Field Theory (EFT) formulated in terms of curvature operators (and possibly additional scalar fields), this dictionary characterizes how deviations scale with the masses of the binary components and identifies the leading order Post-Newtonian corrections in generic theories constructed within the EFT framework. By establishing a direct connection between observations and candidate theories beyond GR, this dictionary also aids in distinguishing genuine physical effects from systematic errors. These results can be readily incorporated into essentially all existing tests for the inspiral regime and, in particular, facilitate a more efficient combination of data from multiple events.

This paper investigates the observable properties of a Kerr-Sen black hole surrounded by a thin accretion disk, focusing on the impact of the black hole's spin and charge on the image. Using ray-tracing techniques, we conduct a detailed analysis of the black hole's image, redshift distribution, and intensity distributions at different observation frequencies. The results demonstrate that spin has a more significant effect on the distortion of the inner shadow than charge, and the observer's inclination angle plays a critical role in shaping the redshift distribution, especially near the innermost stable circular orbit. Additionally, the intensity is found to be higher at 86 GHz than at 230 GHz. This study highlights the crucial role of the accretion disk's geometry in determining the black hole's image and redshift effects, thereby providing a refined theoretical framework to guide future observational efforts targeting the Kerr-Sen black hole and its electromagnetic signals.

We investigate the light deflection and the shadow characteristics of a non-minimally coupled Horndeski black hole surrounded by a magnetized, cold, pressureless plasma medium, while considering both homogeneous and non-homogeneous plasma distributions. We consider an analytical expression for the deflection angle of light and analyze how it is influenced by the plasma properties and the Horndeski coupling constant. The circular light orbits, which define the photon sphere, are also analyzed for both types of plasma media, highlighting their impact on the shadow boundary. The shadow properties of the black hole are examined in detail, and constraints on the model parameters are derived by comparing the theoretical shadow radius with observational measurements of Sgr A* and M87* obtained by the Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration. We also study the black hole shadow images along with the corresponding intensity profiles produced by a radially infalling accretion flow in the plasma environment. The results are particularly interesting, as they reveal how the modified black hole geometry affects both the plasma distribution and the black hole parameters in a realistic astrophysical context.

In the framework of the beyond Horndeski action, we consider three sub-theories, that support scalarised black-hole solutions, and look for modified characteristics compared to GR. We first study the propagation of massless scalar and vector test fields in the fixed background of an analytical spherically-symmetric black hole derived in the context of a parity-symmetric beyond Horndeski theory, and show that the profiles of the effective gravitational potentials, greybody factors, absorption cross-sections and quasinormal frequencies exhibit distinct modifications as we move away from the GR limit. We then turn our attention to the perturbations of the gravitational field itself and adopt a full-theory analysis that takes into account the backreaction of the scalar field on the metric. Employing as background solutions scalarised black holes arising in the shift-symmetric Horndeski theory and in the Quadratic-Quartic-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet theory, we compute the greybody factors and QNMs of the axial sector. In both theories, in direct correspondence to the form of the gravitational potential which features multiple extremal points, we find modified (suppressed or non-monotonic) greybody curves and altered quasinormal frequencies (smaller oscillating frequencies and larger damping times), especially as the hair-sourcing parameter increases.

In this paper, I emphasize those features of the extended phase space approach to quantization of gravity that distinguish it among other approaches. First of all, it is the conjecture about non-trivial topology of the Universe which was supported by Wheeler, Hawking and other founders of quantum gravity. However, this conjecture appears to be in contradiction with the assumption about asymptotic states that is used in the path integral quantization of gauge theories. The presence of asymptotic states ensures gauge invariance of the theory, but, in the case of gravity, the states exist only in asymptotically flat spacetimes, that limits possible topologies. Then we have two ways. The first way is to consider only asymptotically flat spacetimes. In fact, it reduces quantum gravity to quantum field theory on a given background. The second way is to reject the assumption about asymptotic states. In the case of non-trivial topology, one cannot cover the whole spacetime with the only coordinate system. One has to introduce various reference frames fixed by different gauge conditions in different spacetime regions. The Hamiltonian describing a gravitating system will depend on gauge conditions. It leads to the conclusion that unitary evolution may be broken down. This conclusion cannot be obtained in approaches based on the Wheeler - DeWitt equation or making use of the assumption about asymptotic states. The assessment of this conclusion is given.

The latest observations from the LIGO-Virgo indicated the existence of mass-gap region astrophysical objects. This is a rather sensational observation and there are two possibilities for the nature of these mass-gap region astrophysical objects, these are either small black holes that result from the mergers of ordinary mass neutron stars, or these are heavy neutron stars. In the line of research implied by the former possibility, in this work we shall examine the implied neutron star phenomenology from vector $f(R)$ gravity inflationary models. These theories are basically scalar-tensor deformations of the Starobinsky inflationary model. We shall present the essential features of cosmologically viable and non-viable deformations of the Starobinsky model, originating from vector $f(R)$ gravity inflationary theories, and we indicate which models and for which equations of state provide a viable neutron star phenomenology. We solve the Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkov equations using a robust double shooting LSODA python based code, for the following piecewise polytropic equations of state the WFF1, the SLy, the APR, the MS1, the AP3, the AP4, the ENG, the MPA1 and the MS1b. We confront the resulting phenomenology with several well known neutron star constraints and we indicate which equation of state and model fits the phenomenological constraints. A remarkable feature, also known from other inflationary attractor models, is that the MPA1 is the equation of state which is most nicely fitted the constraints, for all the theoretical models used, and actually the maximum mass for this equation of state is well inside the mass-gap region. Another mentionable feature that stroked us with surprise is the fact that even cosmologically non-viable inflationary models produced a viable neutron star phenomenology, which most likely has to be a model-dependent feature.

This work presents a new black hole solution within the framework of a non-commutative gauge theory applied to Kalb-Ramond gravity. Using the method recently proposed in the literature [Nucl.Phys.B 1017 (2025) 116950], we employ the Moyal twist $\partial_r \wedge \partial_\theta$ to implement non-commutativity, being encoded by parameter $\Theta$. We begin by verifying that the resulting black hole no longer possesses spherical symmetry, while the event horizon remains unaffected by non-commutative corrections. The Kretschmann scalar is computed to assess the corresponding regularity. It turns out that the solution is regular, provided that the Christoffel symbols and related quantities are not expanded to second order in $\Theta$. We derive the thermodynamic quantities, including the Hawking temperature $T^{(\Theta,\ell)}$, entropy $S^{(\Theta,\ell)}$, and heat capacity $C_V^{(\Theta,\ell)}$. The remnant mass $M_{\text{rem}}$ is estimated by imposing $T^{(\Theta,\ell)} \to 0$, although the absence of a physical remnant indicates complete evaporation. Quantum radiation for bosons and fermions is analyzed via the tunneling method, where divergent integrals are treated using the residue theorem. Notably, in the low-frequency regime, the particle number density for bosons surpasses that of fermions (at least within the scope of the methods considered here). The effective potential for a massless scalar field is obtained perturbatively, enabling the computation of quasinormal modes and the time-domain profiles. Finally, further bounds on $\Theta$ and $\ell$ (Lorentz-violating paramter) are derived from solar system tests, including the perihelion precession of Mercury, light deflection, and the Shapiro time delay.

In the poltergeist mechanism the enhancement of induced gravitational waves (GWs) occurs due to a sudden transition from an early matter-dominated era to the radiation-dominated era. In this work, we calculate the bispectrum of induced GWs from the poltergeist mechanism by adopting the sudden transition approximation. We find that the tensor bispectrum peaks either in the equilateral or squeezed configurations, depending on scales. Such a characteristic behavior enables us to distinguish it from that from other GW generation mechanisms.

Black holes regain their static configuration by emitting ringdown gravitational waves, whose amplitude decays in time following a power law at fixed spatial positions. We show that the nonlinear decay power law may be obtained by simple scattering calculations using the in-in formalism and argue that the nonperturbative law should be $t^{-2\ell-1}$, where $\ell$ is the multipole of the propagating spherical gravitational wave.

We investigate the chiral soliton lattice (CSL) in the framework of holographic QCD in magnetic field. Under appropriate boundary conditions for the gauge field and the quark mass deformation, we demonstrate that the ground state in the gravitational dual of QCD is given by the CSL in the background magnetic field and the baryon number density. In the presence of the background magnetic field, we show that the CSL is interpreted as a uniformly distributed D4-branes in the holographic setup, where the chiral soliton is identified with a non-self-dual instanton vortex or a center vortex in the five dimensional bulk gauge theory. While the baryon numbers are given to chiral solitons as well as Skyrmions due to the different terms in the Wess-Zumino-Witten (WZW) term in the chiral perturbation theory, these baryon numbers with different origins are unified in terms of the instanton charge density in five dimensions. With bulk analysis of the WZW term, we find that the pion decay constant becomes dependent on the magnetic field. For the massless pion case, we obtain an analytical form that is in qualitative agreement with lattice QCD results for strong magnetic fields.

Existing expressions in the literature appear to indicate that Doppler boosting, due to our proper motion with respect to the isotropic frame of the universe, can amplify stochastic gravitational wave backgrounds whose energy spectra exhibit strong scale dependence, for example, those generated by large scalar perturbations in models of primordial black holes or by astrophysical populations with broken power-law behaviour. It has been suggested that this enhancement could increase the signal-to-noise ratio of such backgrounds in pulsar timing measurements, as well as in ground- and space-based observatories. We show that the reported enhancement is an artefact of a Taylor expansion of the boosted signal, typically performed in the literature under the assumption of a small boosting parameter. This approximation fails to reproduce the correct result for signals with strong scale dependence. When Doppler boosting is treated exactly, the apparent amplification disappears. Using representative spectra, we demonstrate that Doppler motion induces only blue- and red-shifting by the expected amount; it does not lead to additional amplification or introduce new spectral features. The exact expression for the kinematic boost can and should be easily applied in analysing such backgrounds.

Gravitational waves emitted from core-collapse supernova explosions are critical observables for extracting information about the dynamics and properties of both the progenitor and the post-bounce~evolution of the system. They are prime targets for current interferometric searches and represent a key milestone for the capabilities of next-generation interferometers. This study aims to characterize how the gravitational waveform associated with prompt stellar convection depends on the rotational rate and magnetic field topology of the progenitor star. We carry out a series of axisymmetric simulations of a $16.5\,\mathrm{M}_\odot$ red supergiant with five configurations of initial magnetic fields and varying degrees of initial rotation. We then analyze the contribution of early-time convection and the proto-neutron star core to the waveform using ensemble empirical mode decomposition, alongside spectral and Fourier analyses, to facilitate comparison and interpretation of the results. Our simulations reveal that early post-bounce gravitational waves signals are dominated by the first six intrinsic mode functions, with variations due to rotation and magnetic fields influencing the signal strength. Strong magnetic fields decelerate core rotation, affecting mode excitation. Regardless of the initial rotation, convection consistently drives a low-frequency mode that lasts throughout the evolution. Additionally, our results show that the bounce signal is not consistently the strongest component of the waveform. Instead, we find that prompt convection generates a post-bounce signal of comparable or even greater amplitude.

We present a unified spin-weighted harmonic framework that delivers analytic, diagonal expressions for the overlap (correlation) functions of three low frequency gravitational wave observables-pulsar timing redshifts, astrometric deflections, and time-dependent image distortions (``shimmering''). Writing each response in spin-$s$ spherical harmonics and rotating to a basis in which the wave tensor has definite helicity, we obtain compact closed-form series for every auto- and cross-correlation, recovering the Hellings-Downs curve as the $s=0$ limit and deriving its astrometric ($s=\pm 1$) and shimmering ($s=\pm 2$) analogues. The formalism naturally extends to non-standard scalar-breathing, longitudinal, and vector polarisation modes, clarifying when higher-spin observables are (and are not) sourced and providing a complete set of harmonic spectra $C_\ell$ ready for parameter estimation pipelines. These results supply the common theoretical language needed to combine upcoming pulsar timing, Gaia-class astrometric, and high resolution imaging data sets, enabling coherent, multi probe searches for stochastic gravitational wave backgrounds, tests of general relativity and its alternatives across the nano- to micro-hertz gravitational wave band.

Recent baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) measurements from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) collaboration have renewed interest in dynamical dark energy models, particularly those that cross the "phantom divide" ($w_{\rm DE} = -1$). We present the first observational constraints on monodromic k-essence, a physically motivated scalar field dark energy scenario capable of realizing rapid oscillations about the phantom divide. Using cosmic microwave background (CMB) information, DESI DR2 BAO measurements, and Type Ia supernovae observations, we constrain the amplitude, frequency, phase, and power-law index describing the monodromic k-essence scenario at the background level. We find that the monodromic dark energy scenario can fit these datasets with a $\chi^2$ that is comparable to the phenomenological $w_0$-$w_a$ parametrization. While the CMB and BAO data alone are consistent with the standard $\Lambda$CDM model, the inclusion of DESY5 supernovae shows a preference for a non-zero amplitude, $A=0.44^{+0.16}_{-0.12}$ (fully marginalized 68% C.L.). Conversely, inclusion of the Pantheon-Plus supernovae provides no evidence for monodromic k-essence, with $A<0.43$ (95% C.L.). We show that constraints on both monodromic dark energy and $w_0$-$w_a$ models are sensitive to the DESI DR2 LRG2 BAO distance, especially in the absence of supernovae data.

We present a novel method for detecting gravitons using an atomic gas supported by laser fields. Despite the coupling strength of gravitons to atomic transitions being orders of magnitude weaker than that of photons to atomic transitions, the rate of graviton-absorbed atomic transitions can be substantially elevated to a practically observable level. This enhancement is facilitated by an exceptionally potent amplification effect, stemming from a collective quantum electrodynamics phenomenon that encompasses a simultaneous multiphoton-multiatom process.

The oscillation in primordial power spectrum (PPS), a fingerprint of not only a wide class of models of inflation but new physics, is of significant theoretical interest, and can be imprinted on the cosmic microwave background (CMB). In this work, we present constraints on periodic oscillations in the PPS using the latest ACT DR6 and SPT-3G D1 CMB data with the precise measurements at high multipoles beyond the Planck angular resolution and sensitivity. It is found that the combination of SPT and ACT with Planck CMB dataset significantly tightens the upper bound to $A_\mathrm{log,lin}\lesssim 0.029$ at 95\% C.L., showing no hint for primordial oscillations, where $A_\mathrm{log,lin}$ are the amplitudes of logarithmic and linear oscillation in the PPS, respectively. Our work presents state-of-the-art CMB constraints on primordial oscillations, highlighting the power of the ground-based CMB experiments in constraining physics beyond the simplest slow-roll models.

We analyze the physical consequences of scattering Hawking radiation emitted in the vicinity of the horizon of a Schwarzschild black hole. The Hawking radiation from the horizon becomes soft at a large distance away from the horizon due to the gravitational redshift, and the above process is exactly the soft theorem in curved spacetime. For an observer located at infinity, such a scattering process introduces a large gauge transformation, which can be regarded as a memory effect. The large gauge transformation is expected to encode more information about the radiation and might shed light on the black hole information paradox.

In the era of third-generation (3G) gravitational-wave (GW) detectors, GW standard siren observations from binary neutron star mergers provide a powerful tool for probing the expansion history of the universe. Since sterile neutrinos can influence cosmic evolution by modifying the radiation content and suppressing structure formation, GW standard sirens offer promising prospects for constraining sterile neutrino properties within a cosmological framework. Building on this, we investigate the prospects for detecting sterile neutrinos in dynamical dark energy (DE) models using joint observations from 3G GW detectors and a future short gamma-ray burst detector, such as a THESEUS-like telescope. We consider three DE models: the $w$CDM, holographic DE (HDE), and Chevallier-Polarski-Linder (CPL) models. Our results show that the properties of DE can influence the constraints on sterile neutrino parameters. Moreover, the inclusion of GW data significantly improves constraints on both sterile neutrino parameters and other cosmological parameters across all three models, compared to the current limits derived from CMB+BAO+SN (CBS) observations. When GW data are included into the CBS dataset, a preference for $\Delta N_{\rm eff} > 0$ emerges at approximately the $1\sigma$ level in the $w$CDM and CPL models, and reaches about $3\sigma$ in the HDE model. Moreover, the upper limits on $m_{\nu,{\rm sterile}}^{\rm eff}$ are reduced by approximately 13%, 75%, and 3% in the $w$CDM, HDE, and CPL models, respectively.

GW231123 is an exceptionally massive binary black hole (BBH) merger with unusually high component spins. Such extreme properties challenge conventional stellar evolution models predicting a black hole mass gap due to pair-instability supernovae. We analyze GW231123 using population-informed priors on BH mass and spin distributions to test possible formation scenarios: first-generation stellar collapse, hierarchical (multi-generation) mergers, and primordial origin. Our analysis strongly prefers scenarios where at least one component is a higher-generation BH. Both components are favored to have high spins, which rules out scenarios in which they are both first-generation (low spin) or primordial (nearly non-spin). We conclude that GW231123 is a hierarchical merger, with components plausibly originate from the successive mergers of $\sim 6$ and $\sim 4$ first-generation BHs, respectively. This suggests that repeated mergers can be frequent and even more massive intermediate-mass black holes may be produced. Thus mechanisms that can efficiently harden the BBHs' orbits are required, e.g., gas dynamical fraction in the disks of active galactic nucleus.

We provide a concrete link between celestial amplitudes and cosmological correlators. We first construct a map from quantum field theories (QFTs) in $(D+2)$-dimensional Euclidean space to theories on the $(D+1)$-dimensional sphere, through a Weyl rescaling and a Fourier transformation. An analytic continuation extends this map to a relation between QFTs in Minkowski spacetime $\text{M}_{D+2}$ and in de Sitter spacetime $\text{dS}_{D+1}$ with the Bunch-Davies vacuum. Combining this relation with celestial holography, we show that the extrapolated operators in de Sitter space can be represented by operators on the celestial sphere $S^{D}$. Our framework offers a systematic route to transfer computational techniques and physical insights between celestial holography and the dS/CFT correspondence.

Given a (semi-Riemannian) generalised metric $\mathcal G$ and a divergence operator $\mathrm{div}$ on an exact Courant algebroid $E$, we geometrically construct a canonical generalised Levi-Civita connection $D^{\mathcal G, \mathrm{div}}$ for these data. In this way we provide a resolution of the problem of non-uniqueness of generalised Levi-Civita connections. Since the generalised Riemann tensor of $D^{\mathcal G, \mathrm{div}}$ is an invariant of the pair $(\mathcal G, \mathrm{div})$, we no longer need to discard curvature components which depend on the choice of the generalised connection. As a main result we decompose the generalised Riemann curvature tensor of $D^{\mathcal G, \mathrm{div}}$ in terms of classical (non-generalised) geometric data. Based on this set of master formulas we derive a comprehensive curvature tool-kit for applications in generalised geometry. This includes decompositions for the full generalised Ricci tensor, the generalised Ricci tensor, and three generalised scalar-valued curvature invariants, two of which are new.

We investigate a standard minimally-coupled scalar-field inflationary scenario, which is based on a new potential, with suitably generalized plateau features, that leads to extra small tensor-to-scalar ratios. In particular, we consider a specific three-parameter potential, which has a flatter plateau and a steeper well compared to the Starobinsky potential in the Einstein frame. We study the inflationary realization and we show that it guarantees a prolonged period of slow-roll inflation and a successful exit. Additionally, the steeper minimum leads to significantly suppressed tensor perturbations, and thus to an extra-small tensor-to-scalar ratio $r$, and we show that we are able to obtain $r$ values less than $10^{-5}$. Moreover, we calculate the reheating temperature showing that in order to be in agreement with observations one of the potential parameters should remain within specific bounds. Finally, performing an inverse conformal transformation to the Jordan frame we show that the considered potential corresponds to higher-order corrections to Starobinsky potential in the Einstein frame, and these corrections are the reason for the improved behavior of the tensor-to-scalar ratio.

Based on a recently proposed reinterpretation of gravitational wave memory that builds up on the definition of gravitational waves pioneered by Isaacson, we provide a unifying framework to derive both ordinary and null memory from a single well-defined equation at leading order in the asymptotic expansion. This allows us to formulate a memory equation that is valid for any unbound asymptotic energy-flux that preserves local Lorentz invariance. Using Horndeski gravity as a concrete example metric theory with an additional potentially massive scalar degree of freedom in the gravitational sector, the general memory formula is put into practice by presenting the first account of the memory correction sourced by the emission of massive field waves. Throughout the work, physical degrees of freedom are identified by constructing manifestly gauge invariant perturbation variables within an SVT decomposition on top of the asymptotic Minkowski background, which will in particular prove useful in future studies of gravitational wave memory within vector tensor theories.

For gravitationally lensed type II signals, the phase of the dominant (2, 2) mode and the higher order (3, 3) mode is offset by $-\pi/12$, or roughly -0.26 radians. Using this, we develop a test for type II imagery by allowing the phases of the (2,2) and (3,3) modes to vary separately and introducing a new waveform parameter to represent the phase offset between the two. We use simulated, asymmetric mass ratio, precessing signals to show that the test can reproduce the $-\pi/12$ phase offset when detected by three detectors for H-L optimal SNR $\gtrsim$ 40 and $\mathcal{M} \leq 30$. We analyze GW190412 and GW190814 using this parameterization, measuring the offset to be $0.13^{+0.22}_{-0.17}$ for GW190412 and $-0.05^{+0.20}_{-0.22}$ for GW190814. We also measure the Bayes factor in support of zero phase offset, $\log_{10} \mathcal{B}_{\Delta \varphi = 0}$, to be $-0.14$ for GW190412 and $0.21$ for GW190814. This implies our results are not strong enough to confidently argue if either event is a type II image, and is consistent with our statistical analysis.

We show that it is possible to simulate realistic inhomogeneities during cosmological inflation with high precision using {Numerical Relativity}. Stochastic initial conditions are set in line with the Bunch-Davies {vacuum} and satisfy the Hamiltonian and Momentum constraints of General Relativity to leading order in perturbation theory. The subsequent fully non-linear dynamical evolution is formulated within a family of geodesic gauges but can in principle be adapted to any choice of coordinates. We present 3 examples of inflationary dynamics: a simple quadratic potential, a potential with an inflection point and a strong resonance model. When perturbations are small, we recover standard predictions of cosmological perturbation theory, and we quantify strongly non-linear inhomogeneities when non-perturbative configurations emerge, such as in the strong resonance model. Our results pave the way towards the first realistic non-perturbative, and fully non-linear Numerical Relativity simulations of the early inflationary universe.

We present a novel systematic framework for engineering energy-momentum tensors in linearized gravity that generate gravitational fields with a prescribed multipolar structure, aimed at modeling black hole mimickers. As a concrete example, we analyze an anisotropic rotating fluid with a Gaussian-like energy-density profile which, at linearized order, satisfies all energy and causality conditions while generating a gravitational field that exactly reproduces the multipolar structure of a Kerr black hole. We then investigate the phenomenology of both the source and the induced metric, comparing our findings with the corresponding black hole limit.

Inspired by quantum gravity frameworks predicting Planck-scale deviations from Lorentz invariance, we probe Lorentz symmetry violation via modified dispersion relations $\omega_{|\textbf{k}|}$. Departing from conventional approaches, we employ an Unruh-DeWitt detector to probe energy-dependent modifications to the dispersion relations. Two key methodological advances are introduced: (i) a generalized formulation for detector acceleration without assuming specific dispersion relations, and (ii) a momentum-resolved detection paradigm enabling spectral decomposition of $\omega_{|\textbf{k}|}$ through localized momentum-shell integration. Analysis of deviations reveals disruption of the thermal spectrum under significant departures from the Lorentz invariance, while small perturbative regimes manifest as phase-modulated thermal distributions. By restricting detector-field interactions to narrow spectral windows and performing iterative Taylor expansions around reference momenta $|\textbf{k}_0|$, we derive coefficients encoding derivatives of $\omega_{|\textbf{k}|}$, reconstructing its global profile via momentum-space tomography. Our approach offers a scalable method to test Lorentz symmetry violation across energy scales, and establishes a foundation for experimental verification of Planck-scale relics through high-precision spectral measurements.

The rotational metric provides an exact solution to Einstein's clock-rate problem in curved spacetime, specifically, whether time flows more slowly at the equator of a compact object such as a neutron star than at its poles. It features a curvature singularity, an event horizon, a potentially evolving ergosphere, a rigidly-rotating normal space, and two stationary limit surfaces. Although derived from the Schwarzschild metric through rotational transformations, it includes an additional ergosphere. Given the equivalence of inertia and gravity, this demonstrates how non-inertial transformations, such as rotational transformations, can introduce new spacetime structures into a gravitational system. In particular, the additional physical degrees of freedom carried by rotational transformations are `eaten' by the gravitational system to form an additional ergosphere. Furthermore, the rotational metric effectively models a rigidly-rotating gravitational system and is applicable for describing rotationally-induced gravitational effects in various rotating magnetospheres.

The regularity of black hole solutions, embedded in an expanding Universe, is studied in a subclass of Horndeski theories, namely the sum of the simplest quadratic, cubic and quintic actions. We find that in presence of a time derivative of the scalar field, driven by the cosmological expansion, this regularity generically imposes large scalar charges for black holes, even when assuming strictly no direct coupling of matter to the scalar field. Such charges cause a significant accretion of the scalar field by the black holes, driving its local time derivative to a small value. This phenomenon, together with the Vainshtein screening typical of these theories, strongly suppresses observable scalar effects. We show that this full class of models is consistent with LIGO/Virgo detections of gravitational waves, but that the LISA mission should be able to constrain the coefficient of the quintic term at the $10^{-30}$ level in a self-acceleration scenario, an improvement by 16 orders of magnitude with respect to what is imposed by the speed of gravitational waves.

The $\mu$Hz gravitational wave band holds crucial insights into coalescing supermassive black hole binaries and stochastic backgrounds but remains inaccessible due to technical challenges. We demonstrate that geocentric space-based GW detectors (e.g., TianQin, gLISA, GADFLI) can bridge this gap by considering orbital resonance effects, circumventing the need for prohibitively long baselines. When GW frequencies match with integer multiples of a satellite's orbital frequency, sustained tidal forces induce cumulative orbital deviations through resonant effects, which, combined with orbital modulation, improve detector sensitivity by 1-2 orders of magnitude in the $\mu$Hz band. Consequently, geocentric missions can detect SMBHBs across significantly expanded mass-redshift parameter space and track their inspiral-merger-ringdown evolution. Crucially, such observations could synergize with pulsar timing array data of the same binaries at earlier inspiral stages, enabling unprecedented joint tests of strong-field gravity and binary evolution. Our findings establish geocentric antennas as a cost-effective, near-term precursor for unlocking the $\mu$Hz GW astronomy.

Some recent studies based on numerical relativity simulations claim that slow contraction/ekpyrosis is strongly preferred over inflation as the smoothing mechanism that brought the universe into the homogeneous, isotropic and flat state we observe today on large scales. In this paper, we evaluate the likelihood of the initial conditions employed in the aforementioned simulations by estimating the probability that a free scalar field dominating the universe at the beginning of inflation or ekpyrosis will be sufficiently homogeneous on scales comparable to the Hubble radius at that time. We explore the space of parameters that characterize the initial power spectrum of the scalar field, finding that either can be more likely than the other for a fixed choice of parameters. On the other hand, when we extremize over these parameters, we find that the maximal probability for inflation is much higher than that of ekpyrosis.

This paper presents a novel coherent multiband analysis framework for characterizing stellar- and intermediate-mass binary black holes using LISA and next-generation ground-based detectors (ET and CE), leveraging the latest developments in the \texttt{PyCBC} pipeline. Given the population parameters inferred from LVK results and LISA's sensitivity limits at high frequencies, most stellar-mass binary black holes would likely have SNRs below 5 in LISA, but the most state-of-the-art multiband parameter estimation methods, such as those using ET and CE posteriors as priors for LISA, typically struggle to analyze sources with a LISA SNR less than 5. We present a novel coherent multiband parameter estimation method that directly calculates a joint likelihood, which is highly efficient; this efficiency is enabled by multiband marginalization of the extrinsic parameter space, implemented using importance sampling, which can work robustly even when the LISA SNR is as low as 3. Having an SNR of $\sim 3$ allows LISA to contribute nearly double the number of multiband sources. Even if LISA only observes for one year, most of the multiband detector-frame chirp mass's 90\% credible interval (less than $10^{-4} \mathrm{M}_\odot$) is still better than that of the most accurately measured events for ET+2CE network in 7.5 years of observation, by at least one order of magnitude. For the first time, we show efficient multiband Bayesian parameter estimation results on the population scale, which paves the way for large-scale astrophysical tests using multibanding.

In this work, we find a new branch of hairy black hole solutions in the Einstein-Maxwell-Scalar (EMS) theory in four-dimensional asymptotically flat spacetimes. Different from spontaneous scalarization induced by tachyonic instabilities in Reissner-Nordström (RN) black holes with a negative coupling parameter, these scalar-hairy black hole solutions arise when the coupling parameter is positive, where nonlinear coupling plays the dominant role, meaning that the coupling is positively correlated with the degree of deviation from the trivial state. Our numerical analysis reveals that the scalar field grows monotonically with the radial coordinate and asymptotically approaches a finite constant, exhibiting behavior that is qualitatively similar to that of the Maxwell potential. In these solutions, an increase in the charge $q$ causes the scalar-hairy solutions to deviate further from the RN state, while excessive charging drives the system back towards hairless solutions. Strengthening the coupling parameter compresses the existence domain of the scalar-hairy state, which lies entirely within the parameter region of RN black holes. Moreover, by evaluating the quasinormal modes, we show that the obtained scalar-hairy solutions are stable against linearized scalar perturbations.

The anisotropies induced by Lorentz-violating fields pose significant challenges for the search for compact objects in non-vacuum environments. In this work, we demonstrate that introducing couplings between Lorentz-violating fields and matter facilitates the formation of traversable wormholes. Specifically, we introduce additional couplings in the Lagrangian of a phantom scalar field and derive Ellis-Bronnikov spacetime analogs in three distinct Lorentz-violating scenarios: (I) modifications arising from the vacuum expectation value of the bumblebee field, (II) contributions from the vacuum expectation value of an antisymmetric rank-2 tensor field, and (III) a combined scenario incorporating both fields. In the latter case, despite the distinct nature of the fields, their non-zero vacuum expectation values contribute additively to the overall effect on the phantom distribution and on the resulting line element. Moreover, we consider scalar waves to probe the effects of the Lorentz violation in these spacetimes. Notably, the additional Lorentz-violating couplings can alter scalar field dynamics such that perturbations propagate as if in a General Relativity background, which allows for some traits of Lorentz violation to be hidden. We compute the quasinormal mode spectra of these perturbations using three methods: direct integration, 6th-order WKB approximation, and the Prony method, finding strong agreement among the results.

We present an all-sky search for long-duration gravitational waves (GWs) from the first part of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA fourth observing run (O4), called O4a and comprising data taken between 24 May 2023 and 16 January 2024. The GW signals targeted by this search are the so-called "long-duration" (> 1 s) transients expected from a variety of astrophysical processes, including non-axisymmetric deformations in magnetars or eccentric binary coalescences. We make minimal assumptions on the emitted GW waveforms in terms of morphologies and durations. Overall, our search targets signals with durations ~1-1000 s and frequency content in the range 16-2048 Hz. In the absence of significant detections, we report the sensitivity limits of our search in terms of root-sum-square signal amplitude (hrss) of reference waveforms. These limits improve upon the results from the third LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observing run (O3) by about 30% on average. Moreover, this analysis demonstrates substantial progress in our ability to search for long-duration GW signals owing to enhancements in pipeline detection efficiencies. As detector sensitivities continue to advance and observational runs grow longer, unmodeled long-duration searches will increasingly be able to explore a range of compelling astrophysical scenarios involving neutron stars and black holes.

Astrophysical compact objects are studied in the context of quadratic non-metricity gravity. The solutions to the gravitational field equations, which include fluid components, are analyzed to investigate the density and pressure properties of radio pulsars. It is explicitly demonstrated that the theoretically stable models are consistent with astronomical data, due to the geometric features of the quadratic component. Furthermore, it is shown that, in contrast to the compactness limits of black holes in general relativity, the core density can significantly exceed the density at which nuclear saturation occurs, and the surface density can also surpass the value of nuclear saturation. Additionally, it is found that the radial sound speed remains below the conformal upper bound for sound velocity established by perturbative quantum chromodynamics.

The limited distinctness of physical systems is roughly expressed by uncertainty relations. Here we show distinctness is a finite resource we can exactly count to define basic physical quantities, limits to the resolution of space and time, and informational foundations for classical mechanics. Our analysis generalizes quantum speed limits: we count the distinct (orthogonal) states that can occur in a finite length of unitary change. As in Nyquist's bound on distinct signal values in classical waves, widths of superpositions bound the distinct states per unit length -- and basic conserved quantities are widths. Maximally distinct unitary evolution is effectively discrete -- and this characterizes classical systems. [see also Popular Summary in arxiv ancillary files]

We propose a novel minimal scenario which simultaneously addresses the following theoretical/cosmological/phenomenological puzzles: (i) the origin of scales, (ii) primordial inflation, (iii) matter-antimatter asymmetry, (iv) tiny neutrino masses, (v) dark matter, and (vi) the strong CP-problem. Exact scale-symmetry was assumed. A global $U(1)_{\rm PQ}$-symmetry was also assumed but only in the matter sector. The novelty of the scenario is the introduction of an explicit $U(1)_{\rm PQ}$-breaking term in the gravity sector only. Such a term does not disturb the axion solution whereas naturally realizes an axi-majoron hybrid inflation which allows a natural realization of Affleck-Dine mechanism for generating Peccei-Quinn number asymmetry. The asymmetry can be transferred to the visible sector via the right-handed neutrino portal through non-thermal decay and thermal processes, even without the presence of a CP-violating phase in the matter sector. Dark matter and dark radiation are obtained by cold and hot components of axi-majorons, respectively.

We construct initial data suitable for the Kerr stability conjecture, that is, solutions to the constraint equations on a spacelike hypersurface with boundary entering the black hole horizon that are arbitrarily decaying perturbations of a Kerr initial data set. This results from a more general perturbative construction on any asymptotically flat initial data set with the topology of $\mathbb{R}^3\setminus\{r<1\}$ enjoying some analyticity near and at the boundary. In particular, we design a suitable mixed boundary condition for the elliptic operator of the conformal method in order to exclude the Killing initial data sets (KIDS).

The preference for dynamical dark energy over the standard $\Lambda$CDM model has gained attention in recent cosmological studies, particularly with results from the DESI experiment. We investigate this claim by analysing tracker scalar field models, which can alleviate the cosmic coincidence problem and transition to a cosmological constant-like behaviour at late times. Focusing on the inverse axionlike and inverse steep exponential potentials, we study their background evolution and perturbations, finding a mild suppression in the matter power spectrum compared to $\Lambda$CDM but no distinguishing features in the bispectrum. Using combined datasets of ${\rm CMB}+{\rm BAO\; (DESI~DR1\; \&\; DR2)}+{\rm Pantheon~Plus}+{\rm Hubble\; parameter}+{\rm RSD}$, we perform a statistical comparison based on the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). Our results indicate that standard $\Lambda$CDM model remains the most favoured model. While the inverse axionlike model is preferred over the inverse steep exponential model in terms of statistical evidence, neither provides compelling support for dynamical dark energy over the $\Lambda$CDM paradigm.

The DESI DR2 BAO data, in combination with CMB and different SNIa datasets, exclude the flat $\Lambda$CDM model at more than 2.5$\sigma$ when analyzed through the $w_0w_a$CDM parametrization for evolving dark energy. This simple parametrization may not accurately capture the behavior of the entire redshift range at late times, which may introduce bias in the results. We use null tests that probe for deviations from flat $\Lambda$CDM at late times, independent of any specific dark energy parametrization. We provide several diagnostics for null tests and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. In particular, we derive diagnostics that improve on previous ones, such as the popular $O_{\rm m}$ diagnostic. The diagnostics are derived from both background and perturbed quantities. Using the combination of DESI DR2 BAO and supernova data, with or without CMB data, we find that deviations from flat $\Lambda$CDM are at $\sim1\sigma$ confidence level in most of the redshift range (more than 1$\sigma$ for a few small redshift intervals in a few cases). When considering SDSS BAO data instead of DESI BAO data, in combination with PantheonPlus, with or without CMB data, we find even smaller deviations. Since spatial curvature can potentially modify the results, we also test for curvature in the general $\Lambda$CDM model and the general FLRW model. While there is slight evidence for nonzero cosmic curvature at lower redshifts in a general $\Lambda$CDM model, there is no statistically significant evidence in a general FLRW model.

Recent analyses on the properties of the central compact object in the HESS J1731-347 remnant and the PSR J1231-1411 pulsar indicated that these two compact objects are characterized by similar (low) masses and possibly different radii. This paper aims at reconciling the aforementioned measurements by utilizing the widely employed color-flavor locked (CFL) MIT bag model. The main objective is related to the examination of the acceptable values for the color superconducting gap $\Delta$ and the bag parameter $B$. Furthermore, our analysis involves two distinct hypotheses for the nature of compact stars. Firstly, we considered the case of absolute stability for strange quark matter and we found that it is possible to explain both measurements, while also respecting the latest astronomical constraints on the masses and radii of compact stars. Secondly, we studied the case of hybrid stellar matter (transition from hadrons to quarks), and concluded that, when early phase transitions are considered, the simultaneous reconciliation of both measurements leads to results that are inconsistent to the existence of massive compact stars. However, we showed that all current constraints may be satisfied under the consideration that the HESS J1731-347 remnant contains a slow stable hybrid star.

We present a new two-fluid conduction scheme to simulate the evolution of an isolated, self-gravitating, equilibrium cluster of stars and collisionless dark matter on secular (gravothermal) timescales. We integrate the equations in Lagrangian coordinates via a second-order, semi-implicit algorithm, which is unconditionally stable when the mass of the lighter species is much less than that of the heavier species. The method can be straightforwardly generalized to handle a multi-species system with a population of stars or components beyond collisionless dark matter and stars. We apply the method to simulate the dynamical evolution of stellar-dark matter systems, exploring the consequences of mass segregation and gravothermal core collapse, and assessing those effects for observed globular clusters and dwarf galaxies in the Local Volume.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations have identified a class of compact galaxies at high redshifts ($4 \lesssim z \lesssim 11$), dubbed "little red dots" (LRDs). The supermassive black holes (SMBHs) of $10^{5-8}{\rm\,M}_{\odot}$ in LRDs favor a heavy-seed origin. We propose a mechanism for their formation: Clusters of primordial black holes, formed through long-short mode coupling on small scales in the early Universe, undergo sequential mergers over extended timescales. This mechanism can evade cosmic microwave background distortions and result in heavy-seed SMBHs via runaway mergers. We employ Monte Carlo simulations to solve the Smoluchowski coagulation equation and determine the runaway merging timescale. The resulting stochastic gravitational wave background offers a distinct signature of this process, and the forming SMBHs can be highly spinning at their formation due to the spin residual of the cluster from tidal fields. This mechanism may explain the rapidly spinning SMBHs in LRDs under the assumption of obscured active galactic nuclei.

Recent observational results from the DESI collaboration reveal tensions with the standard $\Lambda$CDM model and favour a scenario in which dark energy (DE) decays over time. The DESI DR2 data also suggest that the DE equation of state (EoS) may have been phantom-like ($w < - 1$) in the past, evolving to $w > - 1$ at present, implying a recent crossing of the phantom divide at $w = - 1$. Scalar field models of DE naturally emerge in ultraviolet-complete theories such as string theory, which is typically formulated in higher dimensions. In this work, we investigate a broad class of $thawing~scalar~field~models$, including the simple quadratic, quartic, exponential, symmetry-breaking and axion potentials, propagating on a (4+1)-dimensional ghost-free phantom braneworld, and demonstrate that their effective EoS exhibits a phantom-divide crossing. Alongside the Hubble parameter and EoS of DE, we also analyse the evolution of the $Om$ diagnostic, and demonstrate that the time dependence of these quantities is in excellent agreement with the DESI DR2 observations. Furthermore, we perform a comprehensive parameter estimation using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling, and find that the $\chi^2$ values for all our models are remarkably close to that of the widely used CPL parametrisation, indicating that our models fit the data very well.