The present study focuses on the mesonic potential contributions to the Lagrangian of the extended linear-sigma model (eLSM) for scalar and pseudoscalar meson fields across various quark flavors. The present study focuses on the low-energy phenomenology associated with quantum chromodynamics (QCD), where mesons and their interactions serve as the pertinent degrees of freedom, rather than the fundamental constituents of quarks and gluons. Given that SU(4) configurations are completely based on SU(3) configurations, the possible relationships between meson states in SU(3) and those in SU(4) are explored at finite temperature. Meson states, which are defined by distinct chiral properties, are grouped according to their orbital angular momentum $J$, parity $P$, and charge conjugation $C$. Consequently, this organization yields scalar mesons with quantum numbers $J^{PC}=0^{++}$, pseudoscalar mesons with $J^{PC}=0^{-+}$, vector mesons with $J^{PC}=1^{--}$, and axialvector mesons with $J^{PC}=1^{++}$. We accomplished the derivation of analytical expressions for a total of seventeen noncharmed meson states and twenty-nine charmed meson states so that an analytical comparison of the noncharmed and charmed meson states at different temperatures becomes feasible and the contributions SU(3) and SU(4) configurations can be estimated, analytically.

The literature establishes that the light fermions contributions to the decays $H\to Z\gamma$ and $H\to\gamma\gamma$ are negligible since their coupling with the Higgs is proportional to $m_f$. In the present letter, we show that although such a conclusion is true for leptons, the light quark contributions are zero when we consider their non-perturbative effects.

In this paper we found the dipole-nucleus scattering amplitude at high energies by summing large Pomeron loops. It turns out that the energy dependence of this amplitude is the same as for dipole-dipole scattering. It means that the Balitsky-Kovchegov (BK) equation, which has been derived to describe this scattering, can be trusted only in the limited range of considerably low energies: $z \,\leq\, \sqrt{2\,\kappa\,C}A^{1/6} $

I exhibit a new class of quadratic effects of ultralight dark matter. Axions, dark photons, and dilatons can exert rapidly oscillating forces, torques, and mass shifts on Standard Model particles. These effects average to zero at first order, but shift particle properties at second order, in analogy to the ponderomotive force in optics. Remarkably, these effects scale with the square of the amplitude of the dark matter field, even when the field's direct physical effects depend only on its derivatives. I calculate the resulting observables in electron $g_e - 2$ experiments using classical mechanics, recovering results previously derived using field theory. When considered properly, these particular experiments do not beat astrophysical bounds, but other precision experiments may have interesting sensitivity.

Previous computations of feebly interacting particle production have encountered issues with unphysical (negative) interaction rates at soft momenta. We address this problem by studying the production of Axion-Like Particles (ALPs) coupled to $U(1)$-gauge fields, employing the full form of 1PI-resummed gauge boson propagators. This approach avoids the need for matching or subtraction procedures, ensuring physically consistent results. We find that the ALP production rate remains positive across all momentum scales and identify the dominant production mechanisms. At soft ALP momenta ($p \lesssim g^2 T$), interactions involving two spacelike gauge bosons dominate the production rate, surpassing other channels by an order of magnitude. In particular, using the full gauge boson propagator suggests that at even softer momenta ($p \lesssim g^4 T$), production involving two timelike gauge bosons becomes significant, potentially exceeding other contributions by another order of magnitude. Using these insights, we update the thermal ALP abundance and refine the estimate of the average ALP momentum, providing important input for structure formation constraints on ALP dark matter in the keV mass range.

During the accretion phase of a core-collapse supernova (SN), dark-photon (DP) cooling can be largest in the gain layer below the stalled shock wave. In this way, it could counter-act the usual shock rejuvenation by neutrino energy deposition and thus prevent the explosion. This peculiar energy-loss profile derives from the resonant nature of DP production. The largest cooling and thus strongest constraints obtain for DP masses of 0.1-0.4 MeV, a range corresponding to the photon plasma mass in the gain region. Electron-capture SNe, once observationally unambiguously identified, could provide strong bounds even down to nearly 0.01 MeV. For a coupling strength so small that neutrino-driven explosions are expected to survive, the DP cooling of the core is too small to modify the neutrino signal, i.e., our new argument supersedes the traditional SN1987A cooling bound.

Polar materials with optical phonons in the meV range are excellent candidates for both dark matter direct detection (via dark photon-mediated scattering) and light dark matter absorption. In this study, we propose, for the first time, the metal halide perovskites MAPbI$_3$, MAPbCl$_3$, and CsPbI$_3$ for these purposes. Our findings reveal that CsPbI$_3$ is the best material, significantly improving exclusion limits compared to other polar materials. For scattering, CsPbI$_3$ can probe dark matter masses down to the keV range. For absorption, it enhances sensitivity to detect dark photon masses below $\sim 10~{\rm meV}$. The only material which has so far been investigated and that could provide competitive bounds is CsI, which, however, is challenging to grow in kilogram-scale sizes due to its considerably lower stability compared to CsPbI$_3$. Moreover, CsI is isotropic while the anisotropic structure of CsPbI$_3$ enables daily modulation analysis, showing that a significant percentage of daily modulation exceeding 1% is achievable for dark matter masses below $40~{\rm keV}$.

The type II seesaw is a popular mechanism for generating Majorana neutrino masses at the right scale, with well-known implications for Lepton Flavor Violation. In a non-abelian extension of the Standard Model featuring a Z' field, the type-II seesaw mechanism for Dirac neutrino masses naturally arises by imposing lepton number conservation and adding a soft-term breaking a $Z_2$ symmetry of the model. As expected, there are interesting outcomes for $\mu \rightarrow e \gamma$, but we noticed that the number of relativistic neutrinos, $N_{\text{eff}}$, has a greater impact driven by processes involving the $Z'$ boson and right-handed neutrinos. The presence of a gauge symmetry behind the physical processes, allows us to explore an interesting interplay between the type II seesaw, lepton flavor violation and $N_{\text{eff}}$. We find that using the indicated value by Planck $N_{\text{eff}}=2.99^{0.34}_{0.33}$ we impose constraints on the masses of the doubly charged scalar and Z' fields which are complementarity to direct searches at colliders.

We study a class of spectator field models that addresses the eta problem while providing a natural explanation for the observed slight deviation of the spectrum of curvature perturbations from scale-invariance. In particular, we analyze the effects of quantum corrections on the quadratic potential of the spectator field given by its gravitational coupling to the Ricci scalar and the inflaton energy, so-called the Hubble-induced mass term. These quantum corrections create a minimum around which the potential is flatter and to which the spectator field is attracted. We demonstrate that this attractor dynamics can naturally generate the observed slightly red-tilted spectrum of curvature perturbations. Furthermore, focusing on a curvaton model with a quadratic vacuum potential, we compute the primordial non-Gaussianity parameter $f_{\text{NL}}$ and derive a predictive relationship between $f_{\text{NL}}$ and the running of the scalar spectral index. This relationship serves as a testable signature of the model. Finally, we extend the idea to a broader class of models where the spectator field is an angular component of a complex scalar field.

The L\'evy $\alpha$-stable generalization of the ReBB model of elastic proton-proton and proton-antiproton scattering is presented. The motivation for the future use of this model in describing experimental data is discussed.

We renormalize the soft function entering the factorization and resummation of the $qg$ parton-scattering channel of the Drell-Yan process near the kinematic threshold $\hat{s}\to Q^2$ at next-to-leading power in the expansion around $z \equiv Q^2 / \hat{s} = 1$, and solve its renormalization-group equation.

We study QCD at finite temperature and non-zero chemical potential to derive the critical temperature at the chiral phase transition (crossover). We solve a set of Dyson--Schwinger partial differential equations using the exact solution for the Yang--Mills quantum field theory based on elliptical functions. Assuming a Nambu-Jona--Lasino (NJL) model of the quarks, we obtain a very good agreement with recent lattice computations regarding the dependence of the critical temperature on the strong coupling scale. The solution depends on a single scale parameter, as typical for the theory and already known from studies about asymptotic freedom. The analysis is analytically derived directly from QCD.

The effective field theory containing higher dimensional operators violates the unitarity of the $2 \rightarrow 2$ scattering processes in the Standard Model. This unitarity violation depends on the values of the Wilson coefficients corresponding to a higher dimensional operator. We showed that even a small values of some of the Wilson coefficients lead to the unitarity violation at the LHC centre of mass energies. Considering the final states as the gauge bosons in the longitudinal mode, the scalars, and the $t\overline{t}$, we showed that the unitarity violation in $WW \rightarrow WW$, $WW \rightarrow ZZ$, and $ZZ \rightarrow hh$ scattering amplitudes sets bounds on the Wilson coefficients of the dimension six effective operators.

The burgeoning field of multi-messenger astronomy is poised to revolutionize our understanding of the most enigmatic astrophysical phenomena in the Universe. At the same time, it has opened a new window of opportunity to probe various particle physics phenomena. This is illustrated here with a few example new physics scenarios, namely, decaying heavy dark matter, pseudo-Dirac neutrinos and light dark sector physics, for which new constraints are derived using recent multi-messenger observations.

This work presents the computation of real corrections to the impact factor for forward Higgs boson production, preserving the full dependence on the top-quark mass. The results are shown to align with the BFKL factorization framework, particularly in reproducing the expected rapidity divergence. Additionally, the subtraction of this divergence has been demonstrated using the appropriate counterterm within the BFKL scheme. In the infinite-top-mass limit, our findings reproduce the previously established result.

Double Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DDVCS) is a promising channel for Generalized Parton Distribution (GPD) studies as it is a generalization of the Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering (DVCS) and Timelike Compton Scattering (TCS) processes. Contrary to DVCS and TCS, the GPD phase space accessed through DDVCS is not constrained by on-shell conditions on the incoming and outgoing photons thus allowing unrestricted GPD extraction from experimental observables. Considering polarized electron and positron beams directed to a polarized proton target, we study the sensitivity of the DDVCS cross-section asymmetries to the chiral-even proton GPDs from different model predictions. The feasibility of such measurements is further investigated in the context of the CLAS and SoLID spectrometers at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and the future Electron-Ion Collider at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.

The post-inflationary Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry breaking scenario provides a unique opportunity to pinpoint the QCD axion dark matter mass, which is a crucial input for laboratory experiments that are designed for probing specific mass ranges. Predicting their mass requires a precise knowledge of how axions are produced from the decay of topological defects in the early Universe that are inevitably formed. In this contribution, we present recent results on the analysis of the spectrum of axions radiated from global strings based on large scale numerical simulations of the cosmological evolution of the PQ field on a static lattice. We highlight several systematic effects that have been overlooked in previous works, such as the dependence on the initial conditions, contaminations due to oscillations in the spectrum, and discretisation effects; some of which could explain the discrepancy in the current literature. Taking these uncertainties into account and performing the extrapolation to cosmologically relevant string tensions, we find that the dark matter mass is predicted to be in the range of $95\,\mu\text{eV} \lesssim m_a \lesssim 450 \, \mu\text{eV}$, which will be probed by some of the next generation direct detection experiments.

The $X(3872)$ could be a shallow $D\bar D^*$ bound state, a compact four-quark state, or a partially composite particle, i.e. a superposition of the two. We will review how these hypotheses could be tested experimentally, examining especially the cases in which the $X$ is a pure bound state or a pure compact tetraquark. The comparison with data is done by comparing the results on the $X\to D\bar D\pi$ decay with the analysis of its lineshape. Looking at decay, the pure bound state hypothesis corresponds to a well-defined region in parameter space defined by the width of the $D^*$ versus the binding energy of the $X$. As far as the lineshape is concerned, the currently available experimental analysis is limited to showing compatibility with the purely compact hypothesis. We propose how to modify the analysis to test the molecular or the partially composite hypotheses. We also review the analysis on the radiative decays of the $X$, showing that it leaves little room for its purely molecular nature, even if pion corrections are included.

We study neutrino induced charge current coherent pion production ($\nu_\mu\text{CC-Coh}\pi$) as a tool for constraining the neutrino flux at the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The neutrino energy and flavor in the process can be directly reconstructed from the outgoing particles, making it especially useful to specifically constrain the muon neutrino component of the total flux. The cross section of this process can be obtained using the Adler relation with the $\pi$-Ar elastic scattering cross section, taken either from external data or, as we explore, from a simultaneous measurement in the DUNE near detector. We develop a procedure that leverages $\nu_\mu\text{CC-Coh}\pi$ events to fit for the neutrino flux while simultaneously accounting for relevant effects in the cross section. We project that this method has the statistical power to constrain the uncertainty on the normalization of the flux at its peak to a few percent. This study demonstrates the potential utility of a $\nu_\mu\text{CC-Coh}\pi$ flux constraint, though further work will be needed to determine the range of validity and precision of the Adler relation upon which it relies, as well as to measure the $\pi$-Ar elastic scattering cross section to the requisite precision. We discuss the experimental and phenomenological developments necessary to unlock the $\nu_\mu\text{CC-Coh}\pi$ process as a "standard candle'' for neutrino experiments.

We propose a framework for simulating the real-time dynamics of quantum field theories (QFTs) using continuous-variable quantum computing (CVQC). Focusing on ($1+1$)-dimensional $\varphi^4$ scalar field theory, the approach employs the Hamiltonian formalism to map the theory onto a spatial lattice, with fields represented as quantum harmonic oscillators. Using measurement-based quantum computing, we implement non-Gaussian operations for CQVC platforms. The study introduces methods for preparing initial states with specific momenta and simulating their evolution under the $\varphi^4$ Hamiltonian. Key quantum objects, such as two-point correlation functions, validate the framework against analytical solutions. Scattering simulations further illustrate how mass and coupling strength influence field dynamics and energy redistribution. Thus, we demonstrate CVQC's scalability for larger lattice systems and its potential for simulating more complex field theories.

Modes with zero longitudinal light-front momentum (zero modes) do have roles to play in the analysis of light-front field theories. These range from improvements in convergence for numerical calculations to implications for the light-front vacuum and beyond to fundamental issues in the connection with equal-time quantization. In particular, the discrepancy in values of the critical coupling for $\phi^4_{1+1}$ theory, between equal-time and light-front quantizations, would appear to be resolvable with the proper treatment of zero modes and near-zero modes. We provide a survey of these issues and point to open questions.

In this work, we address the issue regarding the high-power behavior of power-expansion/OPE-expansion in supper-renormalizable theory. Using an $O(N)$-model with $N$-components scalars coupled through quartic interaction at the next-to-leading $\frac{1}{N}$ order in the large-$N$ expansion, we show that the IR subtractions cause addition factorial enhancements for high-power terms in the coefficient functions. Moreover, there are also factorial enhancements for the operator condensates, and the factorial enhancements cancel between coefficient functions and operators only {\it off-diagonally} across different powers. The factorial enhancements can be both alternating and non-alternating. The former are similar to ``UV renormalon'' of coefficient functions and cancel with factorial enhancements of operators at lower powers in diagrams with negative degrees of UV divergences. The later are similar to ``IR renormalon'' and cancel with factorial enhancements of renormalized operators at higher powers in diagrams with positive degrees of UV divergences. The factorial enhancement itself will render the momentum-space power expansion divergent.

In this talk, I showcase models for fuzzy axion dark matter within the framework of type IIB string theory, focusing on axions originating from the Ramond-Ramond four-form in compactifications on Calabi-Yau orientifold hypersurfaces. These models are amenable to cosmological tests if a substantial relic abundance of fuzzy dark matter is produced. I present a topologically exhaustive ensemble of more than 350{,}000 Calabi-Yau compactifications with up to seven axions together with a systematic analysis of the misalignment production of fuzzy dark matter. The resulting dark matter composition is generally a mixture of fuzzy axions and heavier axions, including the QCD axion. Dark photons frequently emerge due to the orientifold projection. I will also comment on applications of optimisation strategies based on automatic differentiation for exploring the string axiverse. This talk is partially based on arXiv:2412.12012.

In the present work we explore the inclusive $\psi(2S)$ meson photoproduction from nuclei near the kinematic threshold within the collision model, based on the nuclear spectral function, for incoherent direct photon--nucleon charmonium creation processes. The model takes into account the final $\psi(2S)$ absorption, target nucleon binding and Fermi motion. We calculate the absolute and relative excitation functions for production of $\psi(2S)$ mesons on $^{12}$C and $^{184}$W target nuclei at near-threshold photon beam energies of 8.0--16.4 GeV, the absolute momentum differential cross sections for their production off these target nuclei at laboratory polar angles of 0$^{\circ}$--10$^{\circ}$, the momentum dependence of the ratio of these cross sections as well as the A-dependences of the ratios (transparency ratios) of the total cross cross sections for $\psi(2S)$ production at photon energy of 13 GeV within the different scenarios for the $\psi(2S)N$ absorption cross section. We also calculate the A-dependence of the ratio of $\psi(2S)$ and $J/\psi$ photoproduction transparency ratios at photon energies around of 11.5 GeV within the adopted scenarios for this cross section. We demonstrate that both the absolute and relative observables considered reveal a definite sensitivity to these scenarios. Therefore, the measurement of such observables in future experiments at the upgraded up to 22 GeV CEBAF facility in the near-threshold energy region might shed light both on the $\psi(2S)N$ absorption cross section and on its part associated with the nondiagonal process $\psi(2S)+N \to J/\psi+N$ at finite momenta, which are of crucial importance in understanding of charmonium production and suppression in high-energy nucleus--nucleus collisions in a search for the quark-gluon plasma.

We propose a novel mechanism of primordial black hole (PBH) formation through inverted bubble collapse. In this scenario, bubbles nucleate sparsely in an incomplete first-order phase transition, followed by a bulk phase transition in the rest of the universe that inverts these pre-existing bubbles into false vacuum regions. These spherically symmetric false-vacuum bubbles subsequently collapse to form PBHs. Unlike conventional PBH formation mechanisms associated with domain wall collapse or bubble coalescence, our inverted bubble collapse mechanism naturally ensures spherical collapse. We demonstrate that, when applied to the electroweak phase transition, this mechanism can produce highly monochromatic PBHs with masses up to ${\cal O}(10^{-6}\,\text{-}\,10^{-5}) M_\odot$, which potentially explain the microlensing events observed in the OGLE and Subaru HSC data.

We continue our studies of the ghost condensate (GC) with sixth-order dispersion relation. Contrary to the GC with quartic dispersion relation, we find that the correction to the Newtonian potential explicitly depends on the space and time dependence of matter density. At late times when the Newtonian potential becomes time-independent, one obtains similar oscillatory behavior at the distance $\frac{M_\textrm{Pl}}{M^2}$, but this time at the time scale $\frac{M^4}{M_\textrm{Pl}^3}$, where $M^2$ is the ghost field velocity. We also show that the speed of gravitational wave is modified in a frequency dependent manner at momenta close to $\frac{M_\textrm{Pl}}{\sqrt{|\sigma_1|}}$, where $\sigma_1$ is the coefficient of $\gamma^{ij} \nabla_i K_{lr} \nabla_j K^{lr}$ operator in the unitary gauge action.