The symmetric mass generation (SMG) approach to the construction of lattice chiral gauge theories attempts to use interactions to render mirror fermions massive without symmetry breaking, to obtain the desired chiral massless spectrum (before the gauge field is turned on). If the zeros that often replace the mirror poles of fermion two-point functions in an SMG phase are ``kinematical'' singularities, general constraints can be formulated on the existence of a chiral fermion spectrum which are valid in the presence of (non-gauge) interactions of arbitrary strength, including in any SMG phase. Constructing a one-particle lattice hamiltonian describing the fermion spectrum, we discuss the conditions for the applicability of the Nielsen-Ninomiya theorem to this hamiltonian. If these conditions are satisfied, the massless fermion spectrum must be vector-like.

I review recent lattice results on strongly interacting matter under extreme conditions, with emphasis on the finite-temperature QCD transition at $\mu_B=0$, its approach toward the chiral limit and the fate of the $U_A(1)$ anomaly, as well as recent constraints on the QCD phase boundary and the possible critical endpoint at $\mu_B>0$. I also discuss selected advances in lattice methods and in QCD thermodynamics under external conditions, in particular strong magnetic fields, isospin chemical potential, rotation, acceleration, and quark spin polarization.

We present a lattice QCD study of the $K^*(892)$ resonance using a set of $N_f=2+1$ Wilson-Clover ensembles with three lattice spacings and six pion masses ranging from 135 to 320 MeV. For each ensemble, a large number of finite volume energy levels in the $P$-wave $K\pi$ channel are determined. The energy dependence of the scattering phase shift is then obtained from Lüscher's finite-volume method. To systematically assess parametrization dependence, the amplitude is described using three different models, which yield consistent results. The resulting phase shifts show a clear resonant behavior for all ensembles, and the corresponding $K^*(892)$ resonance pole is identified on the second Riemann sheet in the complex energy plane. The pole positions are extrapolated to the physical pion mass and the continuum limit, yielding a $K^*(892)$ resonance located at $\sqrt{s_0} = [883(22) -i20(13)]\mathrm{ MeV}$, which is in excellent agreement with the experimental value. This study provides a first-principle QCD determination of the $K^*(892)$ mass and width with controlled systematic uncertainties.

We study a parameter optimization of domain-wall fermions to improve chiral symmetry based on machine learning. Domain-wall fermions involve coefficients along the fifth dimension, which can be treated as trainable parameters to reduce the chiral symmetry violation caused by the finite extent of the fifth dimension. As the loss function, we use the residual mass estimated stochastically on a single gauge configuration. Numerical tests on a $L^3\times T\times L_5=4^3\times8\times8$ lattice demonstrate the feasibility of this framework.

The Harrow-Hassidim-Lloyd (HHL) algorithm is a quantum algorithm for solving systems of linear equations that, in principle, offers an exponential improvement in scaling with the system size compared to classical approaches. In this work, we investigate the practical implementation and optimisation of the HHL algorithm with a focus on improving its performance on near-term quantum simulators. After outlining the algorithm, we examine two optimisation strategies aimed at improving fidelity and scalability: Suzuki-Trotter decomposition of the Hamiltonian evolution operator and a block-encoding approach that embeds the problem matrix into a larger unitary operator. The performance of these methods is evaluated through simulations on matrices with varying sparsity, including diagonal, tridiagonal, moderately dense, and fully dense cases. Our results show that while HHL achieves near-ideal fidelity for highly structured matrices, performance degrades as sparsity decreases due to the increasing cost of Hamiltonian simulation and reduced post-selection probability due to higher condition number. Block encoding is found to provide improved fidelity for moderately dense matrices, whereas Trotterisation offers a qubit-efficient approach for sparse systems. These results highlight the importance of matrix structure in determining the practical efficiency of HHL and inform future implementations that combine algorithmic optimisation with hardware-aware design.

Probing heavy new physics beyond the Standard Model (SM) increasingly relies on global effective field theory (EFT) likelihoods. We introduce differentiable, multi-scale EFT likelihoods that combine renormalization-group evolution, matching, observable predictions, and experimental constraints in a single differentiable framework. This enables modern gradient-based frequentist and Bayesian inference in large parameter spaces. We demonstrate these capabilities in two 374-parameter SMEFT analyses, making basis-independent, fully multi-scale global EFT analyses feasible in practice.

The optimal regularization of infinite-dimensional degrees of freedom is a central open problem in the tractable simulation of lattice gauge theories on quantum computers. Here, we consider regularizing the gauge field by replacing the gauge group $G$ with a braided fusion category whose objects correspond to Wilson lines of the associated Chern-Simons theory $G_k$, with the level $k$ serving as the regularization parameter. We demonstrate how to couple these regularized $U(1)$ and $SU(2)$ gauge groups to fermionic matter using the framework of fusion surface models, which treats matter and gauge field excitations as interacting anyons. We then address the simulation of the Hamiltonians we construct on fault-tolerant quantum computers, providing explicit quantum circuit constructions for implementing the primitive gates in this model, namely, the $F$ and $R$ symbols of the $U(1)_k$ and $SU(2)_k$ anyon theories, which may be of independent interest.

Large apparent $SU(3)_F$ breaking and a tension with lattice QCD have recently emerged in semileptonic decays of singly charmed baryons, hinting at either an unexpected hadronic mechanism or new physics. We formulate a framework that systematically matches lattice-QCD inputs onto an $SU(3)_F$ analysis including first-order symmetry breaking. We predict ${\mathcal{B}}(\Xi_c^+\to\Sigma^0\ell^+\nu_\ell)/{\mathcal{B}}(\Xi_c^+\to\Xi^0\ell^+\nu_\ell)=(2.6\pm0.3)\%,$ and ${\mathcal{B}}(\Xi_c^+\to\Lambda^0\ell^+ \nu_\ell)/{\mathcal{B}}(\Xi_c^+\to\Xi^0\ell^+\nu_\ell)=(1.1\pm0.1)\%$, whose precise measurements would cleanly determine the origin of the anomalously large $SU(3)_F$ breaking.

We investigate S-wave kaon-nucleon ($KN$) interactions with strangeness $S=+1$ in lattice QCD using the time-dependent HAL QCD method. Employing the $(2+1)$-flavor gauge configuration with $m_{\pi}\approx 137~\textrm{MeV}$ and $m_{K}\approx 502~\textrm{MeV}$, we calculate the $KN$ potentials at the leading order in the derivative expansion. The potentials in both isospin channels ($I=1$ and $I=0$) exhibit repulsion at short distances, while only the $I=0$ potential has a small attractive pocket at intermediate distances. The phase shifts computed from these potentials show no signals corresponding to resonances or bound states in both isospin channels, suggesting the absence of the $\Theta^{+}(1540)$ pentaquark in the S-wave $KN$ systems. The scattering lengths result in $a^{I=1}_{0} = -0.226(5)(^{+5}_{-0})~\textrm{fm}$ and $a^{I=0}_{0} = +0.028(61)(^{+3}_{-26})~\textrm{fm}$. Our results of the S-wave cross sections for $I=1$ are consistent with some of the experimental data within $2-3$ $\sigma$, while they deviate from others. The results for $I=0$, combined with recent studies on chiral perturbation theory, suggest that the scattering amplitudes in this channel are dominated by P-wave components rather than S-wave.

We introduce a lattice QCD mixed action approach that employs Wilson-type quarks in the sea and valence sectors. The sea sector is based on gauge ensembles with $N_{\rm f}=2+1$ flavours of non-perturbatively O($a$)-improved Wilson fermions generated by the Coordinated Lattice Simulations (CLS) initiative. The parameter space of the considered ensembles encompasses five values of the lattice spacing, a range of pion masses extending down to the physical point, and large physical volumes. In the valence sector, we employ Wilson twisted-mass fermions at maximal twist, using the same massless Wilson-Dirac operator in both the sea and valence sectors. We describe the strategy applied for the required matching of the sea and valence quark masses along the target renormalised chiral trajectory. A precise universality test is then conducted by comparing the continuum-limit results of the mixed-action approach and of the unitary setup, in which the same Wilson fermion regularisation is employed in the sea and in the valence. As a key application, we conduct a scale setting procedure based on lattice determinations of the masses and decay constants of the pion and kaon, as well as the gradient flow scale $t_0$. The scale setting can consequently be performed in three distinct ways, utilising the unitary setup, the mixed action approach, and their combination. We observe that the latter combination results in enhanced control of the systematic uncertainties, thereby yielding a precise determination of the physical value of $t_0$.

We provide the first lattice-QCD estimate of the crossover line down to $T\simeq108$~MeV. We introduce a new method that combines the Lee-Yang edge in the complex plane of baryon chemical potential $\mu_B$ with universal chiral scaling to determine the $\mu_B$ dependence of the QCD chiral critical and pseudo-critical temperatures. By performing $(2\!+\!1)$-flavor lattice QCD simulations at $T\simeq108$~MeV and purely imaginary $\mu_B$ with a single lattice spacing and two volumes, we compute $\mu_B$-dependent baryon-number susceptibilities and extract the location of the Lee-Yang edge. Together with universal scaling near the QCD chiral transition, it constrains the mapping function between $\{T,\mu_B\}$ and the scaling variable (\textit{i.e.}\ the argument of the universal scaling functions). This mapping function then yields the $\mu_B$ dependence of the critical and pseudo-critical temperatures for $T\gtrsim108$~MeV. While our calculation is performed only at a single value of low temperature without explicit input from small-$\mu_B$ expansion, the resulting $\mu_B$ dependence of the pseudo-critical temperature is consistent with established lattice-QCD determinations at small $\mu_B$ and compatible with chemical freeze-out parameters of heavy-ion collisions down to low temperatures, demonstrating the validity and robustness of the method. Application of this method can be systematically extended to additional temperatures and finer discretizations, opening a pathway to charting the QCD phase diagram in the low-$T$, high-$\mu_B$ regime.

Programmable neutral-atom arrays provide a promising route to real-time analog simulation of strongly interacting quantum systems. We introduce a two leg Rydberg atom ladder that realizes string dynamics and controllable particle production using experimentally accessible parameters. A mapping between local Rydberg occupations and an emergent electric field yields charge anticharge pairs connected by dynamical strings. Classical simulations enforcing Rydberg blockade constraints identify regimes with suppressed entanglement spreading and tunable particle multiplicities, which are seen to be signatures of confinement and string breaking. Particle multiplicities typically grow monotonically with time and system size and depend sensitively on simulator detuning and interaction scales. These results establish the ladder geometry as a viable near-term analog quantum simulator of string fragmentation, and motivate hybrid workflows in which quantum devices contribute nonperturbative real-time dynamics to event generation.

In this article, we put forward a practical but generic approach towards constructing a large family of $(3+1)$ dimension lattice models which can naturally lead to a single Weyl cone in the infrared (IR) limit. Our proposal relies on spontaneous charge $U(1)$ symmetry breaking to evade the usual no-go theorem of a single Weyl cone in a 3d lattice. We have explored three concrete paths in this approach, all involving fermionic topological symmetry protected states (SPTs). Path a) is to push a gapped SPT in a 3d lattice with time-reversal symmetry (or $T$-symmetry) to a gapless topological quantum critical point (tQCP) which involves a minimum change of topologies,i.e. $\delta N_w=2$ where $\delta N_w$ is the change of winding numbers across the tQCP. Path b) is to peal off excessive degrees of freedom in the gapped SPT via applying $T$-symmetry breaking fields which naturally result in a pair of gapless nodal points of real fermions. Path c) is a hybrid of a) and b) where tQCPs, with $\delta N_w \geq 2$, are further subject to time-reversal-symmetry breaking actions. In the infrared limit, all the lattice models with single Weyl fermions studied here are isomorphic to either a tQCP in a DIII class topological superconductor with a protecting $T$-symmetry, or its dual, a $T$-symmetry breaking superconducting nodal point phase, and therefore form an equivalent class. For a generic $T$-symmetric tQCP along Path a), the conserved-charge operators span a six-dimensional linear space while for a $T$-symmetry breaking gapless state along Path b), c), charge operators typically span a two-dimensional linear space instead. Finally, we pinpoint connections between three spatial dimensional lattice chiral fermion models and gapless real fermions that can naturally appear in superfluids or superconductors studied previously.