Preprints in GR/QC

Xiaolin Ma, Kamil Mudrunka, Kazunori Nakayama

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: hep-ph

In gravity theories with torsion, inflation can be driven by the dynamical torsion. Since it naturally has a derivative coupling to the axial current consisting of Standard Model particles, the reheating dynamics should be much different from conventional inflation models like Starobinsky inflation. We calculate the inflaton decay rate in detail and find that, although the 2 body decay into the fermion pair is vanishing in the massless fermion limit, the anomaly-induced 2 body decay into the gauge bosons and 3 body decay involving the Higgs boson are non-vanishing and they give sizable contributions to the total decay width of the inflaton. This gives a natural lower bound on the reheating temperature in the inflation model with dynamical torsion.

Pirzada, Tianjun Li

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: hep-ph

Mapping Calabi-Yau geometry to early Universe cosmology remains a primary goal in string phenomenology. We present an inflationary mechanism where flux stationarity shifts the field dynamics, driving inflation along the volume-controlling saxion direction near a Hodge boundary. In this region, the internal geometry strictly dictates the scalar potential. This setup stabilizes the field against heavy moduli corrections without consuming extra flux tadpoles. As a result, the properties of the geometric boundary translate directly into primordial tensor perturbations, creating a clear physical link from string compactifications to measurable data. The resulting geometric predictions match current cosmic microwave background limits and provide specific, testable targets for upcoming LiteBIRD and CMB-S4 observations.

Tuan Dolmen

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: math.DG

We prove the Penrose inequality with charge under the 2-convexity condition recently introduced by Dong. More precisely, given a complete, connected and asymptotically flat Einstein-Maxwell initial data set $(M,g,k; E,B)$ satisfying the charged dominant energy and the 2-convexity conditions, with divergence-free electromagnetic vector fields $(E,B)$ and a connected outermost past apparent horizon $Σ$ that satisfies $|Σ| \geq 4πq^2$ - where $q$ is the total charge - we show that the following inequality for the ADM mass $m$ holds: $m\geq \sqrt{\frac{|Σ|}{16π}} + q^2 \sqrt{\fracπ{|Σ|}}$, with equality if and only if $k \equiv 0$ and $(M,g;E,B)$ is isometric to a canonical slice of sub-extremal Reissner-Nordström spacetime. Building on Dong's proof of the uncharged case, we use his $\mathbf{P}$-inverse mean curvature flow and its weak formulation, which only depends on $(g,\mathbf{P})$ and hence applies to the charged setting unchanged. The novelty of our work is the modification of the monotonicity formula to account for the additional charge term. For time-symmetric data ($k \equiv 0$), the flow reduces to the classical inverse mean curvature flow and our monotonicity formula to Jang's monotonicity of the charged Hawking mass, recovering the charged Riemannian Penrose inequality.

Ling-Zheng Xia, Lixin Xu

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: hep-th

We derive a first law of proto-area entropy in the CCKLP--Witten framework for approximate holographic entanglement wedge reconstruction. The central spectral function admits a modular Hamiltonian representation with kernel $L(x)=x\coth(x/2)$. For near-maximally-mixed bulk states, and within the unstructured Gaussian-unitary-ensemble (GUE) model of the encoding perturbation, the ensemble-averaged proto-area entropy varies linearly with bulk entropy to leading order, with a response coefficient containing a universal factor~$1/3$, traced to $L''(0)/2=1/6$ and independent of the bulk spectrum's detailed shape within this model. Imposing the gravitational-scaling condition required for nonzero backreaction, the first-law coefficient is $O(1)$, parametrically matching the semi-classical relation $δ({\rm Area}/4G_N)=δS_{\rm bulk}$.

Subhra Mondal, S. Shankaranarayanan

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: gr-qc

The entanglement entropy of quantum systems typically exhibits both ultraviolet and infrared (IR) divergences. In the low-frequency limit, the IR divergence is intimately tied to the unbounded spatial delocalization of zero-modes, a pathological feature common to both coupled harmonic oscillators and massless scalar fields. In this work, we demonstrate that this infinite growth is naturally resolved by invoking the Extended Uncertainty Principle (EUP), which introduces large-length-scale geometric corrections to the canonical commutation relations. By exactly solving the simple harmonic oscillator under the EUP framework, we establish the existence of an intrinsic geometric confinement that enforces a strict upper bound on the position variance, limits spatial delocalization, and introduces an intrinsic localization length scale related to the background Ricci scalar. We extend this regularizing mechanism to many-body systems by evaluating the entanglement entropy and entanglement spectrum of a one-dimensional harmonic chain and a massless scalar field. We show that the EUP-induced spatial bounds prevent the accumulation of low-lying long-wavelength modes, keeping the entanglement spectrum discrete and evenly gapped even in the strictly massless limit. This non-vanishing modular gap effectively caps the local entanglement temperature of the vacuum. Consequently, the entanglement entropy saturates to a finite value, providing a robust, geometric resolution to the zero-mode IR divergence problem in quantum field theory.

Valerie Domcke, Itay M. Bloch

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: hep-ph

Magnetic Weber Bars have been proposed to search for gravitational waves in the kHz to GHz regime by exploiting the mechanical deformation of a large magnet induced by a gravitational wave. Here we propose to increase the effectiveness of such devices by considering magnetic field configurations with strong gradients, albeit lower field strengths, such as Halbach arrays. We focus on one of the most challenging but most realistic signals, with short duration and low coherence, exploiting the ring-down period of the mechanical resonator. We show that with demonstrated technology this setup can reach sensitivities of $S_h^{1/2} \simeq 10^{-21}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ at a broad set of frequencies around several resonance peaks at $\sim 10$ kHz, and $S_h^{1/2} \simeq 5 \cdot 10^{-20}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ in a broadband search at higher frequencies. We discuss plausible upgrades to reach $S_h^{1/2} \simeq (10^{-23} - 10^{-21})/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ in a broadband search covering 10 kHz - MHz.

Yu. V. Pavlov, V. P. Vandeev

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: gr-qc

We compare the deviations of circular orbits in the nonrelativistic and relativistic cases. General solutions of the deviation equations are obtained. We find the potentials for the nonrelativistic case and the metric components in general relativity for which trajectories close to circular ones are closed curves. Explicit expressions for the pericenter shift of an orbit close to a circular one in a static spherically symmetric spacetime are obtained. Estimates of the cosmological constant effect on the orbit pericenter shift are given. Finally, we find the spherically symmetric metric in which the Shirokov effect is absent.

Corentin Guigot

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: astro-ph.HE

Gravitational-wave echoes from Exotic Compact Objects (ECOs) provide an observable probe for horizon-scale physics. Standard phenomenological models for these signals typically assume a constant Free Spectral Range, relying on the geometric optics approximation. In this work, we demonstrate that wave dispersion at the photon sphere induces a systematic deviation from this assumption, manifesting instead as a hyperbolic spectral densification. By employing an analytical framework based on the Riccati equation and macroscopic impedance mapping, we extract the spectrum of these high-finesse resonances without semi-classical approximations. We characterize the structural transition from the eikonal geometric asymptote ($\ell \gg 1$) down to the wave-tunneling dominated quadrupolar mode ($\ell=2$). In this wave-dominated regime ($\ell \in [2, 10]$), the macroscopic deviation from the semi-classical limit is governed by a phenomenological $\mathcal{L}^{-3/2}$ inverse power law. Finally, we show that this macroscopic densification isolates the structural dispersion of the external spacetime, decoupled from the boundary microphysics, provided the membrane phase shift is frequency-independent.

Longfei Wang, Junji Jia

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: gr-qc

This work investigates the brachistochrone problem for a traveler with constant local velocity within static and spherically symmetric (SSS) spacetimes. The brachistochrone trajectory (BT) equations for ultra-relativistic travelers are derived for general SSS metrics, and the solution is formally obtained in an integral form. We then apply the result to two representative spacetimes corresponding to the singular isothermal sphere (SIS) with a finite boundary and the relativistic Plummer mass profile, respectively. For the SIS spacetime, the BT inside the boundary is solved analytically and found always to bend. As the equation of state index $w$ increases, the turning radius $r_0$ of the BT, and consequently the total time, also increase. For the BT outside the boundary, it is found that the heavier the central object, the larger the $r_0$ and the total travel time. For the relativistic Plummer model, the BT will be a straight line passing through the origin when the initial and final points' radii are comparable or smaller than the size of the core region of the mass distribution. When the end points lie well outside the core region, the BT bends, exhibiting a larger turning radius for a more concentrated core. We then extend the consideration to travelers with subluminal constant velocity $v$ and show through the generalized Fermat's principle that the BT will be the same geodesic in the optical metric as ultra-relativistic travelers, with the total travel time scaled by a factor of $1/v$.

Luigi Tedesco

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: astro-ph.CO

The Hubble tension is usually formulated as a disagreement between two determinations of a single scalar parameter, $H_0$, within an isotropic FLRW model. We develop a quantitative framework treating the tension as a consistency test of the scalar FLRW compression of cosmological data in a homogeneous, anisotropically expanding Bianchi type I background. Beyond synthesizing established results on Bianchi I kinematics, null geodesics, and optical propagation, our original contribution is a worked weak-shear, axisymmetric calculation mapping a specified shear history into a low-redshift luminosity-distance quadrupole. The calculation explicitly separates the direction-dependent redshift--affine-parameter mapping from the Jacobi-focusing contribution, propagating the resulting distance quadrupole through an analytic polar-cap toy window. For freely decaying shear, we obtain $A_D(z) = -B_{H0} + (2q_0-1)B_{H0}z/2 + (5-q_0-18q_0^2+6j_0)B_{H0}z^2/12 + O(z^3, B_{H0}^2)$, where $B_{H0}=(H_{\parallel 0}-H_{\perp 0})/H_0$ and $j_0$ is the mean jerk parameter. A representative BBN limit, $Ω_{σ0} \le 10^{-23}$, implies $\vert{}B_{H0}\vert{} \le 9.5 \times 10^{-12}$ and a distance-modulus quadrupole below $2.4 \times 10^{-11}$ mag at $z=0.15$. The early-Universe bound used is adopted from prior work; the novelty lies in propagating it through the derived Sachs--Jacobi mapping into limits on the luminosity-distance quadrupole and catalogue-window bias. By contrast, a 1% directional shift requires $Ω_{σ0} \approx 2.5 \times 10^{-5}$, while matching the Planck 2018--SH0ES 2022 separation requires $Ω_{σ0} \approx 1.8 \times 10^{-3}$. Thus, the minimal shear-only model cannot resolve the tension, though the framework supplies a falsifiable programme for testing late-time anisotropy with SNe, BAO, and standard sirens.

Taiyo Kasamaki, Takeo Moroi

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: hep-ph

We present a detailed investigation of scenarios in which dark-photon dark matter is produced from quantum fluctuations during inflation. In particular, we focus on inflationary models that necessarily involve a Weyl transformation, dependent on the inflaton amplitude, in order to move to the Einstein frame. In such models, the kinetic function of the longitudinal mode of the dark photon varies throughout, and even after, the inflationary period. We show that this variation of the kinetic function has a substantial impact on the resulting relic abundance of dark photons. As a representative and phenomenologically important example, we analyze the Starobinsky inflation model, for which we perform an accurate computation of the relic dark-photon abundance. By imposing the relevant observational constraints, we find that, in order to reproduce the observed dark-matter density in the present Universe, the dark-photon mass must lie in the range $5.6 < m < 7.4\,μ\mathrm{eV}$ within the framework considered in this work.

Victor H. Alencar, Gabriel Picanço, Carlos A. D. Zarro

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: hep-th

In this paper, we investigate scattering of a scalar field near a Schwarzschild black hole through its $S$-matrix. Within this framework, we obtain a novel derivation of Hawking radiation by computing the emission rate, which yields a Bose--Einstein distribution with temperature $T_H=(8πGM)^{-1}$, the Hawking temperature. In addition to Hawking radiation, the S-matrix exhibits antibound states, corresponding to excitations at the threshold of becoming scattering (bound) states if the potential is decreased (increased). We interpret these excitations as constituents of the black-hole quantum atmosphere: a thermalised region outside of the event horizon, which is the source of the Hawking radiation. Using the spectrum of antibound states, we found the atmospheric radius, $r_{\text{Atm}} \approx 2.77 r_{s}$, which is in good agreement with previous results in the literature obtained through other methods. Our results indicate that, at the macroscopic level, the quantum atmosphere behaves like an ordinary thermalised gas at the Hawking temperature.

Peter Lott, Tuan Q. Do

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: astro-ph.CO

We study oscillon formation and gravitational wave production in a generalized exponential plateau inflationary potential. Using Floquet analysis, we identify parametric instability bands consistent with oscillon formation, and solve numerically for the oscillon profile, finding quasi-breather solutions with lifetimes $τ_{\rm osc} \cdot m_{\rm eff} \sim 10^3$ --- $6\times10^4$. Applying the poltergeist mechanism, we compute the induced gravitational wave spectrum and find a peak at $f_{\rm peak} \approx 2.5\times10^{10}$~Hz with amplitude $Ω_{\rm GW,0}\,h^2 \sim 10^{-9}$--$10^{-8}$ for the benchmark parameter $β_{\rm pot} = 5\times10^{-6}$. This is far below the region forbidden by big bang nucleosynthesis. For $β_{\rm pot} = 5\times10^{-5}$ the signal exceeds the big bang nucleosynthesis bound for all considered oscillon energy fractions, constraining the parameter space of the model. The signal falls in the GHz regime, potentially accessible to future resonant cavity experiments.

L. G. Barbosa

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: hep-th

We study chiral symmetry breaking in the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model on a de Sitter background, treating it as a non-renormalizable effective field theory with a physical ultraviolet cutoff. Using exponential proper-time regularization, we obtain an exact solution for the constituent fermion mass in the strong-curvature regime via the Lambert $W$ function. The consistency condition for real-valued solutions leads to an upper bound on the cosmological constant, indicating a limitation of the mean-field description rather than a fundamental physical constraint on the spacetime geometry.

Naritaka Oshita

Published: 2026-07-31

Categories: gr-qc

We investigate the excitation region of black hole quasinormal modes (QNMs) from both analytical and numerical perspectives. On the analytical side, we propose that the QNM excitation radius is identified by the dominance switching of WKB solutions across an anti-Stokes line. Based on this picture, we derive the condition for the QNM excitation radius in Kerr spacetime. In the Schwarzschild limit with mass $M$, we reproduce the previously known value $r=2.556929 M$, which differs from the light ring radius $r=3M$. We also show that the excitation radius is independent of the angular mode $\ell$ in the high-overtone limit. As an independent approach, we employ the numerical convergence test of QNM-plus-tail expansion and obtain values consistent with the Stokes geometry in the high-overtone limit at low and intermediate spins. In the extremal limit, the QNM convergence radius approaches the outer horizon, which is captured by the Stokes geometry of the zero-damping modes, rather than the high-overtone limit. This is consistent with the fact that the ringdown is dominated by zero-damping modes in the extremal limit. Based on the complementary analysis of Stokes geometry and the convergence test, we argue that in general, the QNM excitation radius depends on the QNM overtone number, giving rise to an effective QNM convergence region.

Drew Jamieson, Angelo Caravano, Eiichiro Komatsu

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: astro-ph.CO

The cosmic web preserves a record of the physics that shaped the universe in its earliest moments, the period of exponential expansion known as cosmic inflation. However, if inflation involves significant nonlinear interactions, there are no direct theoretical predictions for the resulting cosmic web. We present the first simulation of the entire history of the universe, from deep in the inflationary epoch to the present-day cosmic structure. Applying this to axion-U(1) inflation, we find that early-universe interactions enhance small-scale structure at high redshift, imprinting the matter power spectrum and the mass function of dark matter halos with signatures of a modified primordial curvature power spectrum and non-Gaussianity. These signatures make high-redshift galaxy surveys, 21-cm observations, and line-intensity mapping promising probes of inflationary physics. More broadly, this ab initio approach provides a novel framework for mapping the signatures of nonlinear inflationary dynamics onto observable cosmic structures across cosmic time.

Chen Zhou, Ikhtiyor Eshtursunov, Sanjar Shaymatov, Chengxun Yuan

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

In this paper, we extend the Comisso-Asenjo magnetic reconnection (MR) mechanism to rotating black holes (BHs) in pure Lovelock/Gauss-Bonnet (GB) gravity in dimension $2N+2\leq D\leq 4N+1$ (where $N$ is the Lovelock polynomial degree of $N$th order term in the action). We perform a comprehensive analysis of the efficiency and power of extracted energy by exploring the effects of the spin parameter, plasma magnetization, magnetic field orientation, and reconnection location. Our results reveal distinctive energetic features of pure Lovelock BHs relative to their Einstein counterparts, except in the special case of $D=3N+1$, where the two theories coincide. Our results demonstrate that magnetic reconnection becomes increasingly efficient in extracting rotational energy from rapidly rotating pure Lovelock BHs with single rotation configuration as the spacetime dimension increases from $D=6$ to $9$. Furthermore, the Comisso-Asenjo MR mechanism can produce higher extraction power than the Blandford-Znajek (BZ) process in certain regions of parameter space because of its enhanced energy extraction rate. These results show that magnetic reconnection is an efficient mechanism for extracting rotational energy from rapidly rotating pure Lovelock/GB BHs, highlighting their relevance to high-energy astrophysical phenomena.

Chong-Sun Chu

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: hep-th

The membrane paradigm represents a black-hole horizon by a fictitious conducting surface. We derive a microscopic electromagnetic membrane from black-hole matrix quantum mechanics. The fuzzy-sphere horizon carries a Berry monopole, placing its fundamental fermionic partons in lowest-Landau-level states with Ohmic and Hall responses. Off-diagonal bifundamental modes connecting the horizon and exterior matrix blocks become tachyonic near the horizon and condense, dynamically coupling the horizon gauge field to the exterior Maxwell field. In the low-frequency regime $ωR\ll1$, the fixed-parton transport description predicts frequency- and helicity-dependent reflectivity. At larger frequency, real parton excitations require a black-hole $S$-matrix. Ohm's law then fixes the inclusive absorption probability; unitarity bounds the local absorption cross section by the horizon area, with the classical conductivity $1/4π$ saturating this maximal-absorption bound.

Robert J. Weinbaum

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

Traversable wormholes are among the most striking hypothetical solutions of general relativity, but every such geometry requires matter that violates the averaged null energy condition (ANEC). A possible candidate for such matter is the Dirac field. Several recent works have claimed traversable wormhole solutions of the classical Einstein-Dirac-Maxwell system, but these works did not properly take into account that single-particle states do not self-interact electromagnetically and that the mode functions of single-particle states are of positive frequency. In this paper, we show that classical, positive-frequency Dirac fields on certain fixed wormhole geometries can violate ANEC, so they are indeed candidates for sourcing traversable wormholes. We then numerically search for static, spherically symmetric, asymptotically flat traversable wormhole geometries sourced by Dirac fields of a definite frequency $ω>0$, angular momentum quantum number $\ell$, and definite parity. We find "partial-wormhole solutions," describing a regular wormhole throat with correct asymptotics at one end of the wormhole, but we find that these solutions cannot be continued to a second asymptotically flat end. In the case of reflection-symmetric wormholes, we perform an additional search where we do not assume that the Dirac solution has a definite parity. In this case, after an extensive scan of throat-forming asymptotic data, we find that the conditions necessary for a reflection-symmetric wormhole throat cannot be obtained. Taken together, these results strongly support that the Einstein-Dirac system does not admit traversable wormhole solutions when sourced by a physically meaningful Dirac field.

Anarya Ray, Vicky Kalogera

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: astro-ph.HE

There is strong evidence of multiple binary black hole~(BBH) subpopulations in the cumulative gravitational wave catalog by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration that likely originate through distinct evolutionary channels. The astrophysical interpretation of this complex underlying population is subject to theoretical uncertainties in treatments of binary stellar evolution, core collapse, and host environments. Due to a lack of robust predictions and the sheer diversity of plausible features, strongly modelled population analyses often lead to prior-driven conclusions. On the other hand, flexible alternatives are often difficult to scale in higher dimensions, which can lead to a loss of critical information on astrophysically meaningful correlations. In this \textit{Letter}, we present the first data-driven reconstruction of the joint four-dimensional distribution of BBH primary masses, mass ratios, effective inspiral and effective precessing spin parameters, which yields novel model-agnostic constraints on the astrophysical origins of BBH subpopulations. We characterize four distinct subpopulations spanning different ranges of BBH masses and report new correlations in these specific mass ranges that are beyond the reach of strongly modeled parametrizations and lower-dimensional data-driven frameworks. Our results unveil novel insights into the abundances of specific subchannels of isolated binary evolution, dynamical assembly, and hierarchical mergers across various mass ranges in the astrophysical BBH population.

Bruno Le Floch, Philippe G. LeFloch

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: math.AP

We consider fourth-order and second-order partial differential operators localized on domains of the sphere in arbitrary dimension. These operators arise as weighted compositions of the linearized Einstein constraint operators and their adjoints, and played a key role in our resolution of the optimal localization problem in general relativity, also referred to as the gravitational shielding problem. To control the asymptotic behavior of solutions to Einstein's constraints in our companion paper (preprint arXiv:2312.17706), we introduced the notions of harmonic, radial, and shell stability. Harmonic stability controls the borderline harmonic modes, radial stability governs the radial evolution of spherical averages, and shell stability controls the coupled radial-angular evolution of solutions. In the present paper, we establish that these stability properties follow from weighted Poincaré, Korn, and Hardy inequalities. Furthermore, in arbitrary dimension, we investigate the behavior of the associated geometric constants, and conclude that the stability conditions hold for a broad class of localization functions; the theory applies to arbitrarily small localization domains, corresponding to gluing cones with arbitrarily small aperture. At the opposite extreme, our conditions also hold on the entire sphere, corresponding to the absence of localization. This completes, for gluing cones of arbitrarily small aperture in every dimension, the program initiated by A. Carlotto and R. Schoen on gravitational shielding and the construction of solutions enjoying super-harmonic decay estimates. In our proofs, we introduce Hamiltonian and momentum functionals, which we call shell functionals, and show that they enjoy monotonicity and semi-coercivity properties; their structure also suggests possible analogies with functionals arising in other curvature-related geometric problems.

Satyabrata Datta, Rome Samanta

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: hep-ph

We study reconstruction of stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds from metastable cosmic strings with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA). In the vacuum-tunneling benchmark, the network decays via zero-temperature nucleation of monopole pairs on the string worldsheet. Initially following cosmic-string scaling, loop production is suppressed after a decay time linked to efficient loop breaking and network collapse. This finite lifetime imprints an infrared tail and a transition toward a stable-string-like high-frequency plateau. Using synthetic LISA data with instrumental noise and unresolved astrophysical foregrounds, we perform Bayesian analysis in the $(Gμ,κ_{\rm CS})$ parameter space. We map detectability, uncertainties, correlations, and localization to distinguish background detection from parameter reconstruction. Reconstruction is governed by lifetime-dependent spectral features in the LISA band. When LISA samples the transition between tail and plateau, data contain amplitude and shape information, enabling recovery of string tension and metastability scale. Posteriors may remain correlated, reflecting an amplitude--lifetime trade-off, yet occupy a small parameter region. By contrast, featureless spectra constrain only limited parameter combinations or become prior dominated. High-SNR plateau-like spectra can retain partial sensitivity to $κ_{\rm CS}$ through residual lifetime dependence even when the transition is not prominent. Finally, we assess sensitivity to Galactic foreground modeling by comparing a flexible template with a reduced tanh template. Our results show where LISA can move beyond detection to probe the lifetime of the underlying string network.

Matthias Vereecken, Matteo Pracchia, Kara Merfeld, Iara Tosta e Melo, Wasim Javed, Patrick Sutton

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: astro-ph.HE

We search for generic gravitational-wave transients associated with high-energy neutrinos detected by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory during the third Observing Run (O3) of Advanced LIGO, Advanced Virgo, and KAGRA. We perform an unmodeled, targeted search, which is sensitive to gravitational-wave signals weaker than those reported in real time or in the gravitional-wave transient catalog, and can thus uncover coincidences missed by typical neutrino follow-up searches. We find no statistically significant gravitational-wave signal and set lower bounds on the distance of possible gravitational-wave sources for different emission models.

Laura Iacconi

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: astro-ph.CO

Recent small-scale CMB data show a preference for larger scalar spectral index, $n_s$, when combined with DESI data. Monomial $α$-attractor T-models can be reconciled with the new observations if the power of the hyperbolic tangent function is $p\geq 6$, where $p$ is even. The supergravity construction of monomial T-models with $p>2$ relies on the assumption that lower powers remain negligible over the whole field range explored during inflation and reheating. What would be the consequences of going beyond the monomial formulation? As a first step in this direction, we consider the case of a binomial potential, given by the sum of quadratic and quartic terms. When the quartic coefficient, $c$, is $0< c+1/2 \ll 1$, we find that the new model displays non-universal behavior for $n_s$, leading to values as large as $0.965$ and with an $α$-dependence that is qualitatively different from that of monomial potentials. By solving the background dynamics during the first few e-folds of perturbative reheating we show that the quartic term might dominate before the quadratic one eventually takes over as the inflaton oscillations decrease in amplitude. This leads to a time-dependent equation of state, with $\bar w\sim 1/3$ initially before ultimately $\bar w\to 0$. Obtaining a quartic-dominated reheating stage lasting $\sim4$ e-folds requires a substantial hierarchy between the quartic and quadratic terms, $c\sim 10^5$ for $α\gtrsim 0.1$. Our study highlights that models beyond the monomial form can lead to non-trivial deviations of $n_s$ from the predictions of monomial potentials. Furthermore our results for $\bar w$ during reheating call into question the use of monomial models with large $p$; assuming that $\bar w$ is uniquely determined by the $p$-th power relies on substantial fine-tuning of the underlying supergravity potential.

Corentin Vitel

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: math-ph

We revisit the proof of a $\mathfrak{bms}_3-$integrable hierarchy introduced in Fuentealba et al. (JHEP, 2018), using different structural methodologies. Specifically, from the variational complex on the ring of polynomial symbols, a $\mathfrak{bms}_3$ bi-Hamiltonian structure is constructed on which a Nijenhuis operator can be attached. A similar argument is made for the $\mathrm{AdS}_3$ case, where we check that the flat limit of the latter recovers the asymptotically flat situation. An alternative $τ-$scheme description is also presented. Moreover, a Lie-Poisson description suggests that such a $\mathfrak{bms}_3-$hierarchy is not unique. For a subclass of so-called energy-dependent Schrödinger operators, it is shown that their Lax flows are described by the coadjoint orbits of $\mathfrak{bms}_3$.

Iris van Gemeren, Tanja Hinderer, Stefan Vandoren

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

Inspiraling binary systems of compact objects probe gravity in strong-field regimes, thereby exploring potential higher curvature corrections to General Relativity. Parity-invariant quadratic corrections can be described by scalar-Gauss-Bonnet (sGB) theory, which involves a scalar field dynamically coupled to curvature scalars and can give rise to scalar condensates around black holes. Considering a mass for the scalar field is natural and leads to new phenomenology related to this additional scale. We compute the dynamics of a binary system of nonspinning black holes in massive sGB using the post-Newtonian (PN) approximation. We obtain solutions for the equations of motion, center-of-mass transformation, and binding energy for circular and eccentric orbits up to 1PN order, where for the first time the higher curvature coupled to scalar mass corrections are included. While most of our calculations are valid for generic scalar masses, the final explicit expressions assume that the mass is small compared to the total mass of the binary and expand to quadratic order in this ratio. We show that the scalar mass corrections to the gauge-invariant binding energy come with same and opposite sign order terms, contributing an overall opposite sign contribution in the perturbative limit, decreasing the binding energy slightly. The effects are largest for binary systems with high mass ratio and large eccentricity. Our methods and results will also be useful as a basis for computing the gravitational waves sourced by such systems.

Anton Chudaykin, Mikhail M. Ivanov, Renata Kallosh, Andrei Linde, Oliver H. E. Philcox, Yusuke Yamada

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: astro-ph.CO

We study the impact of spatial curvature ($Ω_k$) and dynamical dark energy (parametrized by $w_0$ and $w_a$) on the spectral index $n_s$ using a combination of cosmic microwave background datasets (Planck, SPT, and ACT), and spectroscopic galaxy samples from DESI, including both BAO and full-shape clustering measurements. We show that a small negative curvature, $Ω_k\simeq 3\times 10^{-3}$, lowers the value of $n_s$, bringing it closer to predictions of the Starobinsky, Higgs, and simplest $α$-attractor inflationary models. In particular, we find $n_s= 0.9667\pm0.0041$ (using Planck and DESI data) or $n_s= 0.9692\pm0.0035$ (adding ACT and SPT). Allowing for time-evolving dark energy also reduces the spectral index, leading to $n_s=0.9716\pm0.0032$ (from the combined dataset), or $n_s=0.9694\pm0.0035$ in combination with a small negative curvature. Our results demonstrate that the tension between current observational data and the Starobinsky, Higgs, and simplest $α$-attractor models holds only for $Λ$CDM, and can be mitigated in extended cosmological models. We discuss implications of these findings for inflationary models in an open universe and/or with dynamical dark energy, including scenarios with quantum tunneling and non-standard topology. Furthermore, we briefly describe a special class of $α$-attractor models, where one can make $n_s$ arbitrarily large, and we describe the $α$-attractor quintessence model. Such models may be of particular relevance when future data from DESI, as well as DESI-II, SPHEREx, Euclid, Rubin, and Roman, becomes available.

Wen-Bin Liu, Jiang Long

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: hep-th

We define a covariant variation of tensor fields by combining its Lie derivative with the metric variation. This operator preserves the metric, contractions, and Hodge duality, but its commutator is not closed due to an anomaly. We derive its algebraic and geometric properties, and compare it with the Kosmann derivative. Combining the covariant variation with Kosmann derivative gives total covariant variation for the fields with both spacetime and Lorentz structure, all of which belong to the metric Lie derivative. Moreover, we introduce families of extended operators which contain the affine connection, Lie derivative, and covariant variation. From the anomaly of the covariant variation along the superrotation, an electromagnetic helicity flux appears at null hypersurfaces in four dimensions. We also apply the covariant variation and its anomaly to tensor fields in arbitrary spacetime dimensions, and especially focus on the $p$-forms in $d=2p+2$ dimensions.

William H. Kinney

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

We examine the relationship between the Null Convergence Condition (NCC) and the Borde-Guth-Vilenkin (BGV) Theorem. We first show that, for an expanding spacetime foliated orthogonally to a timelike geodesic congruence with vanishing shear and vorticity, the BGV Theorem follows when the NCC holds and the spatial curvature is non-positive, ${}^3\mathcal{R} \leq 0$. The situation becomes more complex in the presence of shear, or non-geodesic threading of the spacetime. In these cases, the local expansion that enters the BGV construction depends not only on the local scalar expansion, but acquires terms given by the contraction of the shear and acceleration with locally defined spatial unit vectors. In the general case, null convergence and non-positive curvature are no longer sufficient to guarantee that the BGV Theorem holds. We discuss the result in the context of eternal inflation in the presence of comoving curvature perturbations and state a more general version of the BGV condition relevant to asymptotically past-de Sitter eternal inflation.

Surajit Kalita, Shruti Bhatporia, Amanda Weltman

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: astro-ph.CO

In recent decades, a multitude of modified gravity theories have been proposed to address a variety of cosmological and astrophysical problems. While many of these theories remain viable, observational constraints on their parameters are increasingly stringent. Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), in particular, have emerged as powerful probes of cosmology and fundamental physics. This study investigates the implications of a generic modified gravity theory for gravitational lensing by FRBs. By analyzing the dataset of CHIME/FRBs, we constrain the fraction of dark matter composed of primordial black holes within this theoretical framework. Furthermore, we demonstrate that modified gravity introduces a screening effect on gravitational lensing, analogous to the scattering effect of plasma on light rays.

Shuai Zhang, Jie Yang, Zi-Han Zhang, Shenghua Yu

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

Mass transfer in binary systems is central to many astrophysical phenomena, including the evolution of compact interacting binaries. Starting from the first post-Newtonian hydrodynamic equations in the corotating frame, we derive the first post-Newtonian Roche potential and construct the corresponding post-Newtonian form of the Roche lobe overflow mass transfer prescription. We then include the time dependence of the component masses in the binary dynamics and compute the associated corrections to the equations of motion, gravitational-wave energy and angular-momentum fluxes, and far-zone polarization waveforms. Finally, we apply the model to representative ultracompact binary systems. We find that mass transfer can play an important role in the dynamical evolution of compact binaries. For gravitational-wave observations, its main effect appears as a secular phase drift accumulated over long observation times.

Mikhail M. Ivanov

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: astro-ph.CO

These notes are an introduction to non-linear perturbation theory for cosmological large-scale structure. They are aimed at undergraduate and beginning graduate students and do not require any cosmology or quantum field theory background. All necessary concepts are developed from scratch. The lectures are intended to explain all key ingredients needed to model the observed clustering of galaxies in real and redshift spaces. After a brief pedagogical introduction to the ideas of effective field theory (EFT), we develop large-scale structure EFT in the context of Newtonian cosmology using symmetry principles. We discuss in detail the shortcomings of Standard Perturbation Theory, the non-linear evolution of baryon acoustic oscillations and its relation to the equivalence principle, counterterms and renormalization of the loop diagrams, and stochastic effects. Then we develop EFT for galaxy bias and redshift space distortions. We also highlight some important facts about redshift-space stochasticity, relevant for ongoing and future galaxy surveys. Finally, we introduce Lagrangian Perturbation Theory.

David Yallup, Metha Prathaban, James Alvey, Thomas C. K. Ng, Thibeau Wouters, Nikhil Sarin, Will Handley

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

We present a specialised GPU-native nested sampling kernel targeting rapid parameter estimation for gravitational wave inference problems. Building upon a Slice-within-Gibbs (SwiG) structure for rapid mixing, we investigate how far we can push baseline stochastic sampling techniques on modern GPU hardware. We demonstrate that for typical long-duration binary neutron star signals observed by the LIGO and Virgo detectors, we can achieve well calibrated posterior inference on the full uncompressed data of a three detector network in a median of twelve minutes on a single GPU. This falls to five minutes when sharded across four devices. Utilising heterodyning to compress the data reduces the median wall time across an injection campaign to 89 seconds -- less than the length of the segment itself -- and enables inference with precessing spin, tidal waveforms on GW170817 in around two minutes. This pushes stochastic sampling techniques using full physical waveform calculations, launched from an uninformed prior state, towards real-time gravitational wave parameter estimation.

Pelayo V. Calzada, Ana Alonso-Serrano, Ernesto Contreras, Pedro Bargueño

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

We introduce here a general model, under agnostic and minimum assumptions, to uniquely find the entropy area law with a corresponding fixed logarithmic correction term. In this approach, the horizon is discretized into generic Planck-scale cells representing coarse-grained indistinguishable geometric structures, and it is just the statistical combinatorial counting that determines the form of the entropy terms. We highlight the role of the assumptions and their comparison with known models providing fixed logarithmic contributions to the entropy.

Pelayo V. Calzada, Pedro Bargueño

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

We establish the equivalence between homogeneous and isotropic linearized gravity with minimally coupled degrees of freedom and the Caldeira--Leggett model of open systems. This connects gravitation to an established system-plus-reservoir formalism, which we use throughout. Eliminating the reservoir reduces the equations of linearized gravity to a generalized Langevin equation for the metric perturbation, with the environmental influence condensed in the spectral density. The equivalence also yields a natural setting for reduced quantization of the perturbation and stochastic gravitational dynamics. We analyze the resulting dynamics with Laplace methods, extending results presented in other open-system settings.

Ahmad Nouri-Zonoz, Farbod Hassani, Julian Adamek, Emilio Bellini, Martin Kunz

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

We study the observational signatures of kinetic gravity braiding (KGB) models in relativistic cosmological probes constructed along the past light cone. Using the relativistic $N$-body code KGB-evolution, we generate light-cone outputs and compute several observables that directly probe the gravitational field, including weak gravitational lensing convergence, Shapiro time delay, the integrated Sachs-Wolfe and Rees-Sciama (ISW-RS) effects, and gravitational redshift. Full-sky maps and angular power spectra of these quantities are constructed and compared with $k$-essence models and predictions from linear perturbation theory. We find that the derivative coupling between the scalar field and the metric modifies both the amplitude and the time evolution of the gravitational potentials, producing scale-dependent deviations ranging from a few percent to tens of percent. In particular, the ISW-RS signal exhibits the largest fractional response, as the slower decay of the Weyl potential suppresses the KGB signal in the ISW-dominated regime, whereas nonlinear evolution reverses this trend at higher multipoles, producing differences of tens of percent relative to $k$-essence. Weak gravitational lensing also provides a strong complementary probe and, for the model considered here, exhibits clear deviations from the $k$-essence prediction at small scales with enhancements up to $\sim 10$-$12\%$ at multipoles $\ell \sim 10^2$-$10^3$. Our results show that linear perturbation theory accurately describes the large-scale behaviour, while nonlinear effects become important at smaller scales, particularly for the ISW-RS signal and, more moderately, for the convergence, and must therefore be included for reliable theoretical predictions.

Hendrik Mennenga

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

We study stationary nonlinear clouds of a complex scalar field on fixed Kerr and Schwarzschild backgrounds, with an unbounded scalar potential. On Kerr backgrounds we find finite-amplitude Q-clouds satisfying the synchronisation condition $ω=mΩ_H$. They occupy two-dimensional regions of the ($Ω_H,M_K$) plane and reduce to the corresponding linear clouds as the scalar field amplitude tends to zero. The quartic domain can continue to $Ω_H=0$, where both the synchronised frequency and the Noether charge vanish and the solutions become static nonlinear scalar clouds on a fixed Schwarzschild background. We also compute the existence domain for a normalised, axion-inspired cosine potential.

Guillermo Lara, Harald P. Pfeiffer, Nils Deppe, Lawrence E. Kidder, Geoffrey Lovelace, Sizheng Ma, Alexandra Macedo, Jordan Moxon, Kyle C. Nelli, Mark A. Scheel, William Throwe, Nils L. Vu

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

We implement the "fixing-the-equations" approach [Phys.Rev.D 96 (2017) 8, 084043] in spectre, an NR code using a pseudo-spectral discontinuous Galerkin scheme, to produce long and accurate NR waveforms in the well-known shift-symmetric version of scalar Gauss-Bonnet (sGB) gravity. To achieve this, we introduce a new family of comoving driver equations that exploits the approximate symmetries of quasicircular binary systems and is designed to recover the exact (quasi-)stationary solutions of the fully-coupled theory. We validate our single black hole (BH) solutions against analytic predictions and show that, even for binary BHs in the early inspiral, the intrinsic BH quantities are relatively insensitive to the timescales entering the driver equation. Attention is given to the prescription of driver equations for tensors, for which we give an example of how treating tensor components as scalars can lead to undesired behaviour over long timescales, including spurious growth of the BH spins. A more appropriate generalization to the tensor case is given for the comoving driver, which is shown to avoid these issues. Overall, our implementation leverages state-of-the-art methods for eccentricity reduction and wave extraction with Cauchy Characteristic Evolution to simulate systems with eccentricity $\lesssim 10^{-3}$. We obtain waveforms with phase errors $\lesssim \mathcal{O}(1) \, \mathrm{rad}$ over almost 40 GW-cycles, which naturally incorporate memory contributions.

Guillermo Lara, Harald P. Pfeiffer, Nils Deppe, Lawrence E. Kidder, Geoffrey Lovelace, Sizheng Ma, Alexandra Macedo, Jordan Moxon, Kyle C. Nelli, Mark A. Scheel, William Throwe, Nils L. Vu

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

Numerical relativity (NR) simulations of compact binaries in theories beyond general relativity (GR) will be pivotal for the continued development of future tests of gravity with gravitational waves (GWs). In this Letter, we show that the combination of spectral methods and the "fixing-the-equations" approach allows us to produce the longest waveforms in the literature for a genuine beyond-GR theory, thus bringing NR methods for alternative theories of gravity closer to the state-of-the-art in GR. For concreteness, we focus on the well-known shift-symmetric version of scalar Gauss-Bonnet gravity, a theory postulating the existence of an additional dynamical scalar and describing black holes (BHs) different from the Kerr solution. We extract the gravitational and scalar waveforms at future null infinity for equal-mass, nonspinning, eccentricity-reduced BH binaries, and quantify the phase errors to be $\lesssim$ 1 rad after 40+ GW cycles (20+ orbits). We also show that the GW phase corrections in this alternative theory are distinguishable from Einstein's theory and lead to an earlier coalescence time than in GR. Obtaining such waveforms is a stepping stone to perform precise comparisons with Post-Newtonian theory and to calibrate waveform models beyond GR.

Sabutay Ugur, Muzaffer Adak, Ali Bagci, Caglar Pala

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

We investigate the non-relativistic limit of the generalized Dirac equation in a weak, static, and spherically symmetric background of symmetric teleparallel gravity. The underlying generalized spinor connection incorporates the complete Clifford-algebra basis and introduces additional couplings to the non-metricity sector beyond those of the conventional Dirac theory. Working in the coincident gauge and adopting the weak-field Schwarzschild geometry in isotropic coordinates, we derive the corresponding generalized Dirac Hamiltonian and perform successive Foldy--Wouthuysen transformations up to order $1/m^2$, retaining terms to first order in the gravitational potential and its spatial derivatives. The resulting block-diagonal Hamiltonian contains not only the expected gravitational counterparts of the kinetic, spin--orbit, and Darwin interactions, but also additional operator structures generated by the generalized spinor connection. In particular, direct spin--gravity, anisotropic spin--momentum--gravity, and tidal spin--momentum couplings arise naturally from the generalized metric-affine interaction. We further perform an order-of-magnitude analysis for an electron in the Earth's weak gravitational field to justify the adopted truncation of the inverse-mass expansion. These results demonstrate that the generalized Dirac equation in a symmetric teleparallel background gives rise to new low-energy interaction channels involving the fermion spin, momentum, and spatial derivatives of the gravitational field. The resulting effective Hamiltonian provides a framework for exploring phenomenological constraints on the additional couplings entering the generalized spinor connection.

David Mateos, Mikel Sanchez-Garitaonandia, Pedro Tarancón-Álvarez

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: hep-th

We investigate the hydrodynamics of expanding bubbles in first-order phase transitions with non-conformal thermodynamics. We analyze a broad class of equations of state interpolating between bag-model descriptions, commonly used for electroweak transitions, and QCD-like theories. As a concrete benchmark, we determine the bubble solutions for pure SU(3) Yang-Mills theory. We uncover a new set of hydrodynamic obstructions to bubble expansion. These obstructions arise both at the bubble wall and along the fluid flow, and can partially or completely eliminate otherwise allowed solutions. We also identify a new class of solutions, which we dub "shocked detonations", consisting of ordinary detonations with an additional shock inserted in the rarefaction wave. As a consequence of these obstructions, the space of admissible bubble wall velocities is significantly constrained, with gaps appearing between different expansion regimes. For example, for QCD-like theories, all detonation solutions, including shocked detonations, are excluded. We show that these effects can strongly impact the kinetic energy budget of the fluid and, therefore, the resulting gravitational-wave signal, potentially suppressing the most efficient configurations. Our results highlight the importance of non-conformal dynamics for accurately modeling phase transitions and the resulting gravitational-wave spectrum. The code used to construct the bubble solutions is publicly available. For completeness, we also show how the interpolation between the bag-model and QCD-like limits can be realized holographically by varying the backreaction of matter fields on the geometry.

Jinyi Lv, Jing-Yi Wu, Hongji Chen, Kexin Jia, Weihan Sun, Kilar Zhang

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: astro-ph.HE

The universal I-Love-Q relations for compact stars have significant applications in gravitational-wave astronomy, but thermal effects can break these relations in low-mass white dwarfs. In this work, we employ the stellar evolution code MESA to construct realistic models of $0.15 \, M_{\odot}$ helium-core and $0.6 \, M_{\odot}$ carbon-oxygen core white dwarfs at various temperatures. By utilizing the Clairaut-Radau equation, we quantitatively extract the radial variation of the eccentricity of internal isodensity surfaces. Our numerical results demonstrate that higher central temperatures amplify the eccentricity variation, causing the I-Love relations to deviate from the zero-temperature Chandrasekhar model, whereas subsequent cooling restores them. This confirms that the temperature-induced violation of the universal relations is fundamentally driven by the loss of self-similarity in isodensity surfaces, providing key insights into the applicability conditions of I-Love-Q relations in compact objects.

Bekir Baytaş, Xiao-Kan Guo

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

We study the degenerate limits of the scalar-tensor theory of gravity in its Hamiltonian connection dynamics formulation. The degenerate limit of the spatial triad is effectuated by a local scaling transformation of the triad, which leads to the degenerate limits of all other geometric quantities and relations in the connection dynamics. We derive the constraints for the degenerate scalar-tensor theory of gravity and discuss their physical implications.

Sayantani Bhattacharyya, Parthajit Biswas, Nilay Kundu

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: hep-th

In this work, we analyze the differences and similarities between two recent constructions, which are distinct in their methodologies for extending the Wald entropy of stationary black holes to non-stationary situations in general higher-derivative gravity. One of them, denoted by $S_\text{Wall}$, is constructed by exploiting the boost symmetry of the near-horizon geometry, whereas the other, denoted by $S_\text{dyn}$, is obtained from a covariant phase-space analysis based on the Wald-Iyer Noether charge formalism. While $S_\text{dyn}$ is, by construction, defined only for linearized fluctuations around a stationary black hole solution, $S_\text{Wall}$ does not require such a linearization for its construction. Although the linearization is necessary to interpret $S_\text{Wall}$ as a well-defined notion of entropy, the construction itself naturally contains terms that are higher order in the dynamical fluctuations. By comparing the technical structures underlying the two constructions, we clarify the fundamental differences between the methods on which they are based. We demonstrate that while the construction of $S_\text{dyn}$ given the $S_\text{Wall}$ is straightforward, the converse is more subtle. We develop an algorithm to obtain a local expression for $S_\text{Wall}$ from a known expression for $S_\text{dyn}$ in a generic diffeomorphism-invariant theory of gravity, provided certain technical conditions are satisfied. We justify our analytical findings with explicit demonstrations in a particular case: the Riemann-squared example of the higher-derivative theory of gravity.

H. Hassanabadi, L. A. López, N. Bretón, L. M. Nieto, S. Zare

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

We investigate the horizon structure, constrained thermodynamics, and geodesic properties of an effective Kerr-like black hole in a non-commutative background. Deformation modifies the radial geometry through a mass-dependent charge-like contribution, while preserving the separability of the geodesic equations. We determine the conditions for horizon existence, identify the extremal zero-temperature configuration, and analyze the stationary-limit surfaces and the ergoregion. Special attention is paid to the thermodynamic interpretation of the model, where the geometric Hawking quantities are distinguished from the conjugate variables associated with the constrained state space at fixed non-commutative deformation parameter. The canonical and grand-canonical heat capacities are derived to characterize their ensemble-dependent local thermal behavior. We also obtain the spherical photon region, equatorial light rings, and shadow boundary, showing that the deformation shifts the characteristic photon orbits inwards and reduces the overall size of the shadow. Timelike circular motion is studied through the innermost stable circular orbit, where non-commutative correction produces an inward shift of both the prograde and retrograde branches. Finally, invariant photon frequency shifts are obtained by treating the emitter's orbital direction and the photon's tangential emission direction as independent physical choices.

Puskar Mondal, Shing-Tung Yau

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: math.DG

We prove a sharp volume-stability theorem for closed hyperbolic three-manifolds. Let \((M,h)\) be closed hyperbolic with \(\operatorname{Ric}_h=-2h\), and let \(g_i\) be smooth metrics on \(M\) satisfying $R(g_i)\geq -6, \operatorname{Vol}_{g_i}(M)\longrightarrow \operatorname{Vol}_h(M)$. After passing to a subsequence, there exist \(Z_i\subset M\), smooth domains \(K_i\subset M\), and diffeomorphisms $ψ_i:K_i\longrightarrow M\setminus Z_i $ such that $\operatorname{Vol}_{g_i}(Z_i)\longrightarrow0, \operatorname{Vol}_h(M\setminus K_i)\longrightarrow0, $ and $ \|ψ_i^*g_i-h\|_{C^0(K_i,h)}\longrightarrow0. $ Thus near-equality in the sharp hyperbolic volume bound forces tensorial \(C^0\)-convergence to the hyperbolic metric outside regions of vanishing volume. As an application, we establish stability of the Fischer--Moncrief reduced Hamiltonian at the Lorentz-cone ground state: after CMC normalization, near-minimizing compact vacuum data in the hyperbolic topological class converge, modulo sets of vanishing volume, to the hyperbolic Lorentz-cone geometry in tensorial \(C^0\). This provides a rigorous volume-dominance formulation of the Fischer--Moncrief asymptotic picture.

Xin-Lei Zhao, Jun-Ru Chen, Yong-Qiang Wang

Published: 2026-07-30

Categories: gr-qc

In this paper, we calculate the tidal Love numbers of multi-state boson stars (MSBSs) composed of ground state and first excited state complex scalar fields. Under synchronized and nonsynchronized frequency conditions, the background solutions of MSBSs are classified into single-branch and double-branch types. The field functions, ADM mass, and binding energy of different solutions are discussed. We then calculate the quadrupolar ($\ell=2$) electric and magnetic tidal Love numbers for branches containing stable solutions. Our results show that the electric tidal Love numbers are initially positive and then suddenly transition to negative values. This phenomenon occurs when the parameters satisfy $\tildeμ_1 > 0.891$ or $\tildeω_0 > 0.777$; for smaller values of these parameters, the electric Love numbers remain positive. The magnetic tidal Love numbers are always negative, with absolute values smaller than those of the electric tidal Love numbers.

Julian Barbour, Francisco S. N. Lobo, Maria I. R. Lourenço

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

The Newtonian $N$-body problem in the zero-energy, zero-linear-momentum, and zero-angular-momentum sector provides a time-reversal-invariant setting in which generic complete solutions possess a Janus point and exhibit a gravitational arrow on both branches away from it. The dimensionless variety $V$, a global scale-invariant measure of clustering contrast, is not pointwise monotonic but fluctuates while growing between rising bounds away from the Janus region. Central configurations are critical shapes of the same scale-invariant landscape and therefore provide controlled probes of the structural information encoded by $V$. We investigate this question for two planar $N=5000$ central configurations using the numerical particle-coordinate data. Local morphology is quantified by the six-neighbour anisotropy $A_6$, which ranges from $0$ for an isotropic local environment to $1$ for an effectively one-dimensional one. Although the varieties of the two configurations differ by only $1.686\%$, their mean anisotropies differ by $156.8\%$, from $0.1331$ to $0.3419$. Moreover, $18.1\%$ of the particles in the higher-variety configuration satisfy $A_6>0.5$, whereas none do so in the lower-variety configuration. The anisotropy ordering persists for all tested neighbourhood sizes $4\le k\le12$, and the principal contrast survives a dimensionless close-pair robustness test. For this pair of critical shapes, nearby values of the global variety therefore coexist with markedly different local geometrical organization. Thus the scalar quantity whose long-term behavior characterizes the BKM gravitational arrow does not, by itself, uniquely specify morphology. This identifies local relational observables as a complementary level of description and provides a quantitative bridge between the static shape-space landscape and morphology along genuine Janus-point histories.

Gabriel Menezes

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: hep-th

We construct the charge-generated intrinsic/canonical frame dictionary associated with the Kerr-selected soft dressing. Starting from the VV supertranslation, we formulate the higher-spin problem as an inverse problem at null infinity: the soft kernel ${\mathcal K}^{(s,0)}_{AB}[t]$, built from the parity-adapted maximally longitudinal scalar $χ^{(s)}_t$, is matched to the Kerr-selected exponentiating projection of the universal soft contribution, thereby determining one parity component of the generator $t^{A_1\cdots A_s}$. Helicity conjugation fixes which one: the exponentiating source obeys $\overline{S^{(s)}_{+,{\rm exp}}}=(-1)^sS^{(s)}_{-,{\rm exp}}$, so the tower fixes the electric projection of the source at even levels and the magnetic projection at odd ones, matching the alternation of the Kerr mass and current moments; for aligned spin the projection is exhaustive and we solve the tower in closed form. The prescription reproduces the VV supertranslation at leading order and fixes the curl, not the divergence, of a smooth generalized-BMS vector at subleading order. The reason for the matching is physical: the same exponentiating soft factor is the classical limit of the Guevara--Ochirov--Vines spinning three-point operator and generates the Kerr multipole tower. We explain the corresponding hard flux charges and show how their external-state action gives the Ward representation of the soft theorem. The polynomial Poisson algebra on $T^\ast S^2$, with local $w_{1+\infty}$-type reductions, then acts on these frame-changing generators; it does not close on the Kerr-selected data alone. This gives the physical role of the $w_{1+\infty}$-like structure in Kerr black-hole scattering: it moves the intrinsic/canonical dictionary. Its observable imprint begins with displacement memory at $s=0$ and spin memory at $s=1$, followed by higher electric and magnetic memory moments.

Sai Nandan Morapakula, Kazuki Ikeda

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: quant-ph

Deutsch closed timelike curves (D-CTCs) are described by a fixed-point condition for a chronology-violating register. We study a finite-dimensional circuit model that places a Hayden--Preskill/Yoshida--Kitaev recovery map inside such a consistency loop. A register-routing construction makes the Deutsch map explicit: an initial SWAP moves the incoming CTC state to an idle dump register, the scrambler and decoder act on the remaining active registers, and a final SWAP writes the recovered message back to the CTC register. When the active branch recovers the message, the induced map on the CTC register is the replacement channel \(σ\mapsto ρ_M\), with the unique fixed point \(ρ_M\). We implement the associated Lloyd-type post-selected decoder circuits on quantum hardware and formulate a classical-feedback iteration for the experimentally estimated map. Qiskit simulations and IBM-hardware data for single-qubit instances quantify decoder fidelity, post-selection overhead, routing-dependent noise, and quantum-geometric susceptibility.

Gabriel Menezes

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: hep-th

The Veneziano--Vilkovisky supertranslation is the residual large diffeomorphism relating the canonical Bondi frame to the intrinsic frame of the scattering bodies. We show it leads a tower selected by the exponentiating soft expansion, the object generating the Kerr multipoles at three points. Since \(e^{ηωa\cdot q}\) splits into even and odd parts, the tower alternates parity, and for aligned spin we solve it to all orders in hyperbolic integrals. After a chiral projection its composition law is the classical $w_{1+\infty}$ bracket: the physical content we assign to that algebra.

Paulo C. C. Freire, Colin J. Clark, Cees G. Bassa, Guillaume Voisin, Rutger van Haasteren, Lars Nieder, Benjamin W. Stappers

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: astro-ph.HE

Context. The recent pulsar timing ephemeris of PSR J0435+3233 indicates that this millisecond pulsar (MSP) has a spin-down rate that is much higher than observed in other MSPs and challenges our understanding of the formation and evolution of MSPs. Aims. We propose that this system is a hierarchical triple, and that the high spin-down rate is caused by varying acceleration due to a tertiary in a wide orbit. Methods. We use pulsar timing methods with radio and gamma-ray observations of PSR J0435+3233 to determine the system properties. Results. We find that a hierarchical triple timing model describes the timing observations of PSR J0435+3233 and that this results in the detection of gamma-ray pulsations back to the beginning of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data in 2008. The intrinsic spin-down rate remains uncertain as it correlates with the parameters of the outer orbit, but large spin-down rates are excluded and the intrinsic rate is at least two orders of magnitude lower than the observed rate, in line with other Galactic MSPs. We identify a star located 11 mas from the pulsar position as the optical counterpart to the tertiary companion. From the 1.5-2.5 kpc distance and colours, we infer that the tertiary is a 1.2 solar mass F-type main-sequence star. Along with the pulsar binary, it orbits the common centre of mass with an eccentric (e ~ 0.6), wide (~ 70 yr) orbit that is likely seen at a low orbital inclination. Conclusions. We conclude that PSR J0435+3233 is a hierarchical triple system. We discuss the motivation and prospects for the continued study of this system. Spectral measurements of the outer star in addition to continued astrometric measurements will yield mass ratio and inclination estimates, while continued pulsar timing may yield a tighter constraint on violations of the Strong Equivalence Principle than are currently obtained from PSR J0337+1715.

Yusef Maleki, Gustavo Valdivia-Mera, Carlos R. Ordonez, Horacio E. Camblong, Marlan O. Scully

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: quant-ph

We develop a geometric theory of information processing in the Horizon-brightened acceleration radiation (HBAR) channel, in which the radiative horizon-area change provides an entropy budget for the information carried by the radiation field. Building on the quantum-optical description of atom--field interactions near the horizon and the resulting HBAR thermodynamic correspondence, we derive area-cost laws in the near-steady, thermally saturated regime. The accessible classical information and the mutual information generated between the radiation field and its environment are bounded by the associated radiative horizon-area budget. Reliability is incorporated through Fano's inequality, which translates a prescribed decoding error probability into an area requirement. We further derive Fisher-information speed limits that constrain the statistical evolution of the radiation field and place a lower bound on the duration required for correlation generation. Together, these results establish a bits-per-area principle linking black-hole thermodynamics, information geometry, and quantum information in the HBAR framework.

Takol Tangphati, Ayan Banerjee, Izzet Sakalli, Sayantan Ghosh, Aseel Smerat

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

Quark stars-hypothetical compact stars made entirely of deconfined quark matter-offer a clean testing ground for gravity beyond general relativity. We study their structure in $f(T,\mathcal{T})$ gravity, a teleparallel theory in which torsion is coupled directly to the trace of the energy-momentum tensor through a single constant coupling. Using the standard MIT bag description of quark matter, we solve the modified stellar structure equations and follow how the mass, radius, compactness, and surface redshift respond as the coupling is varied across its full admissible range. The maximum mass turns out to depend on the coupling in a non-monotonic way: it rises above the general relativity value, peaks near 2.02 solar masses at a moderate positive coupling, and then falls steeply as the coupling approaches a critical value at which the structure equations become singular. The two-solar-mass pulsar constraint is satisfied within a finite window of positive couplings. All configurations on the candidate stable branch satisfy causality and remain below the standard general-relativistic compactness and surface-redshift benchmarks.

Michele Cicoli, Dario L. Lorenzoni, Evan McDonough, Francisco G. Pedro

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: hep-th

We study the impact of light spectator axions on the seeding of primordial black holes (PBHs) during inflation in string theory. Primordial black holes exhibit unique and novel phenomenology, and may constitute the observed dark matter. Cosmic inflation provides a mechanism for producing them, but such inflation models typically feature Planckian field excursions, necessitating an ultraviolet completion into quantum gravity. String theory provides a natural framework for doing so, and indeed Fibre Inflation has been shown to produce PBHs while satisfying constraints from cosmic microwave background data. In this work we study the dynamics of axions during Fibre Inflation, and find a diverse and rich set of possibilities, including turns in field space and enhancement of primordial perturbations. We find that across most of parameter space, notably an axion with a far sub-Planckian decay constant $f\ll M_{\rm Pl}$, there is a negligible impact on the power spectrum of curvature perturbations, indicating an overall robustness of the model. On the other hand, an axion with a larger but still sub-Planckian decay constant, $f\gtrsim {\cal O}(0.1) M_{\rm Pl}$, and an exponentially small prefactor of its non-perturbative potential, can enhance the growth of perturbations, making it easier to achieve the amplification needed to seed PBHs, effectively realizing axion-assisted PBHs in string theory.

Andrea Calcinari, Adrià Delhom, Federico Greco, Daniele Oriti, Néstor Rivero

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

In generally covariant theories evolution in coordinate time is a gauge transformation, so that a symmetry made manifest in a gauge-fixed description need not be a symmetry of the physical dynamics. Deparametrisation, in turn, removes gauge symmetries but may hide physical symmetries, in particular those dependent on the chosen physical clock. We study the relation between gauge and (hidden) physical symmetries in flat FLRW geometry coupled to an arbitrary number $n$ of free massless scalar fields. We show that conformal Killing vectors of the minisuperspace metric generate conserved charges which are Dirac observables--hence gauge-invariant--and whose Poisson algebra is the maximal conformal algebra $\mathfrak{conf}(n,1)\simeq\mathfrak{so}(n+1,2)$, extending previous single-field results to arbitrary $n$. We then revisit the Eisenhart-Duval lift in a family of gauges and show that the manifest symmetry algebra is gauge dependent, enlarging to the Schrödinger algebra (which is thus not a physical symmetry) in the distinguished harmonic gauge where the gauge-fixed minisuperspace metric becomes flat. Further, deparametrisation maps the lifted charges to gauge-invariant Dirac observables, which always realise a subalgebra of the conformal algebra and reproduce it in full in the harmonic gauge. These results establish a framework for separating gauge from physical symmetries in minisuperspace models, recovering charges to which reduced phase-space descriptions are structurally blind, and remaining applicable in the presence of potentials.

Steffen Gielen, Rita B. Neves

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

We study inflation in the setting of unimodular loop quantum cosmology, where time evolution is defined in unimodular time rather than with respect to a free, massless scalar field as is standard in loop quantum cosmology. The unimodular setting leads to a natural Schrödinger time evolution in a time coordinate with clear geometric meaning, defined independently of any particular matter content; an inflaton can be included but is not needed as a clock. We review the unimodular version of loop quantum cosmology and comment on possible connections to full (unimodular) loop quantum gravity. Then, focusing on semiclassical effective equations, we derive analytical solutions in simple cases such as a constant potential, emphasising the use of a unimodular time coordinate. We also discuss numerical solutions for phenomenologically interesting cases such as a quadratic potential and Starobinsky inflation, comparing different possible choices of initial conditions. In particular, we show that choosing an $α$-attractor potential allows for models of a bounce either dominated by kinetic or potential energy, which are compatible with observations while potentially including observable imprints of the quantum-gravity regime.

Jaime Redondo-Yuste, Josu C. Aurrekoetxea

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

Perturbation theory is an essential tool to model and interpret gravitational dynamics, for example, binary black hole mergers. Therefore it is also crucial to precisely understand its regimes of validity. The collapse of a scalar field under its own self-gravity provides a clean laboratory to study these questions. By varying the field's initial amplitude we can transition smoothly between a perturbative regime, where the field scatters in an approximately flat spacetime; and a nonperturbative regime, where a black hole forms in finite time. In this work, we use numerical relativity simulations of this set-up to investigate the accuracy of a perturbative expansion around flat spacetime, including next-to-next-to-leading order effects. Our simulations show deviations from these perturbative predictions before black hole formation, once the maximum luminosity of the process is sufficiently large, $L_{peak} \sim 10^{-2} L_{Planck}$. We characterize these nonlinear effects including a redshift of the driving frequency and a power-law spectral amplitude, which we show is consistent with approximate discrete self-similarity. These results provide a step forward towards understanding the limits of perturbative expansions in more realistic strong-gravity phenomena such as non-spherical collapse and high-velocity black hole mergers.

Gabriela Barenboim, Albert Stebbins

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: astro-ph.CO

A stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background sources a shear in the flow of cosmic fluid which, through non-linear mode coupling, generates large-scale white noise (LSWN) in the kurvature density field. Building on the LSWN framework of our previous work, we derive the amplitude of this GW-induced LSWN and translate the observational non-detection of LSWN into bounds on the production redshift and density of gravity waves. In particular, a minimal constraint on gravity waves with $z=0$ density parameter $Ω_\mathrm{GW0}^*$ in frequency band $f_*$ generated at redshift $z_*$ must satisfy ${z_*}^2\,Ω_\mathrm{GW0}^*<5\times10^7\,(f_*/\mathrm{nHz})^{3/2}$. This, for example, precludes the gravity waves recently detected by pulsar timing arrays \cite{NANOGrav:2023hvm} from being present before $z_*\sim10^8$, long after the quark hadron phase transition. While orders of magnitude stronger than other constraints on gravity waves, this is a minimal LSWN constraint as realistic modeling of early universe gravity wave production, including the granularity of the gravity-wave sources and the LSWN produced by the associated acoustic waves would probably tighten this constraint by orders of magnitude.

Avinandan Mondal

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: hep-th

Within the semi-classical regime of AdS/CFT correspondence, we consider the limit where the bulk dynamical field is linearized metric perturbations satisfying linearized Einstein equations over background pure AdS spacetime. AdS/CFT correspondence gives us a holographic map, which is an isometric embedding map of the GNS Hilbert space of linearized gravity in the bulk (w.r.t. the AdS-invariant vacuum) to the GNS Hilbert space of CFT in the boundary (w.r.t. the Minkowski-invariant vacuum). We assume that the map takes AdS-vacuum in the bulk to CFT-vacuum in the boundary and that it allows AdS-Rindler wedge reconstruction. Then using this map, we show that for a given ball-shaped region in the boundary $A$, the relative entropy of a bulk state w.r.t. the AdS vacuum in the algebra of causal wedge associated to $A$ matches with the relative entropy of the dual CFT state w.r.t. the CFT vacuum in the algebra of CFT observables in $A$ in the code subspace, which is known as Jafferis-Lewkowycz-Maldacena-Suh (JLMS) condition. Furthermore, for localized semi-classical coherent excitations in the causal wedge associated to $A$ which corresponds to perturbed bulk geometry, we show rigorously using modular crossed product construction that the state-dependent part of entropy of the dual CFT state in the dressed Type-II algebra associated to $A$ satisfies vacuum subtracted Hubeney-Rangamani-Takayanagi (HRT) formula.

Ulyana Dupletsa, Francesco Iacovelli, Mikhail Korobko, Valeria Sequino, Alessandro Agapito, Manuel Arca Sedda, Biswajit Banerjee, Nicolò Cibrario, Andrea Cozzumbo, Francesco Crescimbeni, Alessio Ludovico De Santis, Gabriele Franciolini, Yufeng Li, Michele Mancarella, Benedetta Mestichelli, Niccolò Muttoni, Lavinia Paiella, Ippocratis D. Saltas, Filippo Santoliquido, Pawan Tiwari, Cristiano Ugolini, Marica Branchesi, Archisman Ghosh, Jan Harms, Michele Maggiore, Fiodor Sorrentino

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: astro-ph.IM

We investigate the relationship between instrumental requirements and the scientific performance of the Einstein Telescope (ET), a third-generation (3G) gravitational-wave (GW) observatory. Different technical design choices result in distinct noise budgets, ultimately shaping the detector's scientific capabilities. To systematically assess and compare their impact, we define a comprehensive set of performance metrics spanning compact binary coalescence (CBC) detection and parameter estimation, as well as other sources, including stochastic GW backgrounds, isolated spinning neutron stars, and core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). We build a comparative reference framework that links degradations in specific noise contributions and frequency bands to losses in scientific capabilities. We consider a representative selection of technical parameters, such as coating and suspension temperatures, the filter cavity length in the low-frequency instrument, and the beam size in the high-frequency instrument. We evaluate how sensitivity variations across specific frequency bands affect different scientific objectives. We quantify how the sensitivity below 30 Hz impacts the detectability of massive and/or high-redshift sources and the reconstruction of long-duration CBC signals, affecting early warning and sky localization for binary neutron stars (BNSs). Sensitivity in the 30-450 Hz range governs most CBC parameter-estimation metrics, while high-frequency sensitivity above ~450 Hz predominantly impacts BNS post-merger studies and CCSN detectability, with modest effects on detection rates. Even with the most significant degradations considered, the ET science case remains robust overall. Our results provide a comprehensive benchmark linking scientific objectives to instrumental requirements, particularly important as the final design and infrastructure of 3G observatories are being defined.

Guido D'Amico, Nemanja Kaloper, Alexander Westphal

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: hep-th

We point out that observations of cosmic birefringence may provide direct experimental tests of Swampland conjectures. Ultralight scalar field birefringence mechanisms are constrained by Weak Gravity Conjecture, limiting their parameter space. Conversely, confirming that CMB birefringence is caused by ultralight scalars could spell problems for the Swampland framework. Resolving these difficulties without a revision of Swampland ideology points toward thin axionic domain walls, which can explain birefringence without propagating ultralight degrees of freedom. Importantly these conflicting scenarios for cosmic birefringence could be experimentally distinguished by a search for, or exclusion of, birefringence anisotropies, that could be measured by POLARBEAR, Simons Observatory and LiteBIRD. We also note that cosmic birefringence observables emerge via a Sakharov-like asymmetry, where linear polarization is first generated cosmologically and subsequently twisted by a parity-violating dynamics after last scattering.

Yunjia Bao, Dhong Yeon Cheong, Nicholas L. Rodd, Joey Takach, Lian-Tao Wang, Kevin Zhou

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: hep-ph

Precision experiments increasingly target weakly coupled waves, including axion dark matter and gravitational radiation. Such waves are commonly described as classical fields, yet they could exist in quantum states with no classical counterpart. We exhibit two severe obstructions to detecting nonclassical effects, both independent of the mode occupancy. First, realistic detectors cannot resolve the fundamental modes of a field; instead they couple to coarse-grained "effective" modes, which often washes out nonclassical effects. Second, all nonclassical effects are suppressed by extra powers of the weak coupling, making them much harder to detect than the waves themselves. We prove this in general, and explicitly show how the suppression arises for quadrature and number statistics, entanglement, and decoherence. The suppression can in principle be overcome given suitable quantum resources, such as highly squeezed detector states, but the required parameters are far beyond current experimental capabilities. We use the axion cavity haloscope as an explicit example, although our conclusions apply to many ultralight dark matter searches, and rule out proposals to establish the quantization of gravity from observations of gravitational waves.

Miguel Barroso Varela, Orfeu Bertolami, Katherine Freese, Evangelos Sfakianakis

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: astro-ph.CO

Chain inflation offers an alternative to standard slow-roll dynamics, with accelerated expansion proceeding through a sequence of rapid quantum tunneling events between metastable vacua. At the high energy scales relevant for the early Universe, scalar fields are generically expected to couple non-minimally to gravity via operators like $ξRφ^2$, allowed by symmetry and required as counterterms for interacting theories in curved spacetime. We study the dynamical and observational consequences of this coupling for chain inflation. We find the modifications to the model for arbitrary $ξ$ and focus on interesting phenomenology for $ξ={\cal O}( 10)$. We show that, in the Einstein frame, the non-minimal coupling induces a field-dependent amplification of the Euclidean bounce action, thus modifying the tunneling rate across the chain. We develop an analytic framework connecting this modified tunneling dynamics to the scalar spectral index, its running, the primordial curvature power spectrum, and the stochastic gravitational wave background from bubble collisions. As one consequence, the non-minimal coupling breaks the rigid relation between the scalar tilt and inflationary scale that drives the minimally coupled pure tilted cosine model to very low energies ($V_*^{1/4}\lesssim 3\,\rm{GeV}$, where $V_*$ is the value of the inflationary potential when the CMB-relevant modes exit the horizon), allowing for viable high-scale chain inflation with $V_*^{1/4}\sim 10^{11}\,\rm{GeV}$. Furthermore, non-minimally coupled chain inflation at high scales produces a peaked stochastic gravitational wave signal in the dHz-kHz bands, accessible to upcoming interferometers such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer. Finally, the model predicts a distinct running of the spectral index that will be testable by the Simons Observatory, making it a prime target for multi-messenger cosmology.

Naman Agarwal, Andrew R. Frey, Ratul Mahanta, Evan McDonough

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: hep-th

Axions and axion-like particles are a compelling candidate for physics beyond the standard model. While many axion searches are focused on the linear coupling to photons $θF \tilde{F}$, the possibility of a quadratic coupling to the electromagnetic kinetic term, $θ^2 F^2$, leads to novel phenomenology and new opportunities for testing axion-like particles. In this work we propose mechanisms for generating this coupling in string theory, which can be broadly classified as classical, perturbative, and non-perturbative. In benchmark examples, we find that both perturbative and non-perturbative quantum contributions such as instantons lead to couplings that are suppressed, $g \ll 1$ in units of $1/f^2$ where $f$ is axion decay constant, though easily larger than analogous coupling of the QCD axion that is generated through loops of charged pions. These analyses suggest that quadratic axion couplings to gauge fields are ubiquitous in string theory, and should be taken seriously as a probe of the string theory axiverse, both of string theory candidates for dynamical axions, such as dark matter or dark energy, and for spectroscopy of the string theory axiverse.

Mateja Bošković, Nikola Savić

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

The superradiant instability of rotating black holes can generate a significant overdensity of bosonic matter around them, together forming a gravitational atom. This mechanism allows one to probe a large part of the parameter space of scalars, axions and vectors that lies beyond the reach of traditional detection strategies. Modelling the dynamics of these systems in binaries is, however, subtle, due to the competing nature of the different perturbations. In this work, we provide a robust scheme to treat these perturbations, including both the minimal set of internal ones (relativistic corrections and self-gravity) and the external tidal field. Within the worldline effective field theory framework, we then calculate the Love numbers of gravitational atoms, for the first time also for the most interesting case of spinning clouds. Certain spinning states are found to have \textit{negative} (static) Love numbers, with a magnitude parametrically enhanced relative to the scaling for the non-spinning states -- in phenomenologically relevant scenarios by a factor $\mathcal{O}(10^2\text{--}10^3)$. Finally, we consider the binary evolution in the early inspiral, assessing the impact of the competing perturbations on \textit{shifted resonances}. This dynamical picture allows us to identify at which stages the permanent multipoles are the strongest indicators of new light bosons, and at which the induced ones take over, while keeping track of both types of finite-size effects even during the resonance. More broadly, our results demonstrate that gravitational atoms are a useful toy model for studying the theoretical aspects of tidal response in gravitational-wave physics.

Tomislav Prokopec, Marco Vecchioni

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: hep-th

The growth of primordial perturbations during the matter-dominated era is primarily driven by dark matter. Ultralight scalar fields (ULDM) are a promising candidate for this role, conventionally modeled as operating in a classical, high-occupation regime. In this work, we develop a first-principles field-theoretic framework to investigate the impact of ULDM on linear cosmological perturbations during matter domination, explicitly retaining its quantum nature. Deriving a closed equation for the graviton field dynamics, we compute and regularize its source terms for a generic Gaussian initial state of the ULDM field within the adiabatic (WKB) approximation, employing the middle-point working assumption for non-local terms. After gauge-fixing we find that, contrary to previous claims, the classical condensate of ULDM has no influence on gravitational wave propagation. However, the time-dependent graviton effective mass induced by quantum pressure of the squeezed state can drive parametric resonance in specific primordial gravitational wave modes. We demonstrate this growth is negligible for non-relativistic ULDM at matter-radiation equality under the assumption of a power-law squeezing spectrum for masses in the range $m \sim 10^{-21}{-}10^{-24}$ eV.

Paul Ramond

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

In general relativity, the motion of a test mass around a rotating black hole is described by Kerr geodesics. Owing to the symmetries of the Kerr spacetime, these geodesics possess four constants of motion, rendering the associated Hamiltonian system integrable. This integrability underlies much of the analytical framework used to model asymmetric-mass-ratio inspirals, key sources for future gravitational-wave detectors. Real compact bodies, however, are not test masses: their internal structure couples to the background curvature. In this work, we show that a non-spinning body endowed with a tidally induced quadrupole admits no deformation of the geodesic Carter constant that remains conserved, for generic tidal couplings and generic Kerr spin. Consequently, the leading-order tidal dynamics is generically non-integrable. The proof is analytic and relies on two key ingredients: a covariant Hamiltonian formulation of tidal dynamics on the same phase space as the geodesic problem, valid in arbitrary background spacetimes, and a novel relation between curvature tidal scalars and the geodesic Carter constant derived from the algebraic and Killing symmetries of Kerr spacetime. We complement this result with numerical diagnostics of the tidally perturbed dynamics, including Poincaré sections, Lyapunov exponents, and escape-time maps. These reveal chaotic structures in phase space, such as stochastic layers, sensitivity to initial conditions, and fractal basin boundaries, consistently with the analytic non-integrability result.

Ciro De Simone

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

The Teukolsky equation possesses discrete symmetries that constrain the properties of black hole perturbations and their quasinormal mode spectrum. In this study, we explore how a class of modifications of the Teukolsky potential can alter the symmetry structure of the equation and break the m = 0 degeneracy of quasinormal modes. We prove this result in frequency domain using the master Teukolsky equation and in time domain via (2+1)-dimensional simulations. We also show that the discrete symmetries can be leveraged for a more efficient characterization of the m = 0 quasinormal modes from time-domain evolutions. As a theory-specific application, we consider the case of higher-derivative theories of gravity, highlighting that time-domain implementations of frequency-domain potentials can give rise to additional non-physical branches of modes.

Jierui Hu, Kent Yagi, Nicolas Yunes

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

Kerr black-hole quasinormal modes are usually computed with numerical methods, but analytic approximations remain useful for identifying the physics that controls different parts of the spectrum. In this paper, we ask whether the divergent, high-order Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin (WKB) expansion about the peak of the Chandrasekhar-Detweiler potential can be made predictive through Padé and Borel-Padé resummation. We develop two complementary implementations: a semi-analytic slow-rotation expansion in the dimensionless spin $a$ (carried out through 21th WKB order), and a fixed-spin Padé-WKB implementation for the resummed frequency equation (carried out through 41st WKB order). In the slow-rotation regime, the 21th-order resummed expansion is significantly more accurate than the fourth-order approximation found previously. For damped modes at larger spins, the fixed-point iteration agrees well with Leaver's method, reaching fractional errors below $10^{-7}$ in the real part of the fundamental $m=0$ mode at $a=0.99$. The same strategy fails for modes that approach the zero-damped branch near extremality. We trace this breakdown to the near-horizon structure of the Chandrasekhar-Detweiler potential. As the extremal limit is approached, nearby poles produce rapid variation on the throat scale, so a local Taylor expansion about the potential peak no longer uniformly captures the relevant region.

Xiangsheng Wang

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: math.DG

On spin manifolds, we give a proof of Brendle and Wang's refined positive mass theorem using the Dirac operator method. In the course of this proof, we discuss the origin of the special coefficient appearing in Brendle and Wang's spectral positivity condition for scalar curvature from the perspective of spin geometry.

Hajime Sotani, Ankit Kumar

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: astro-ph.HE

Universal relations provide a particularly useful way to extract physical information from neutron star observables in the presence of various uncertainties by reducing the dependence on uncertain model parameters and microphysical inputs. In this study, we examine the oscillation frequencies of mirror dark matter admixed neutron stars using a two-fluid description, where the outer and inner fluids give rise to two distinct fundamental frequencies. We confirm that the universal relation between the mass-scaled fundamental frequency of the outer-fluid-led mode and the stellar compactness, established previously for self-interacting dark matter admixed neutron stars, also holds in the mirror dark matter scenario. However, this universal relation becomes less robust when metric perturbations are included, compared with the corresponding results in the Cowling approximation. We further find that the inner-fluid-led fundamental frequency can also be expressed as a compactness-dependent relation that is largely independent of the normal matter equation of state, provided that the dark matter mass fraction is fixed. These results suggest that the simultaneous detection of the two fundamental frequencies could provide a way to constrain the dark matter mass fraction, even when the equation of state of normal matter remains uncertain. Finally, we find that the Cowling approximation estimates the fundamental frequency associated with the outer fluid with an accuracy comparable to that found for standard neutron stars without dark matter, while it performs even better for the frequency associated with the inner fluid.

Brien C. Nolan

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

We consider the necessary and sufficient conditions for the smooth matching of an expanding McVittie spacetime and a spatially flat Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) spacetime across a general hypersurface - that is, a hypersurface of arbitrary causal character, where the character possibly changes from point to point. We identify a number of special cases, and determine some no-go results. In the general case, we show that the full set of matching conditions is equivalent to a 3-dimensional non-linear system of first order ODEs, subject to a single initial value constraint. Taking the perspective that the McVittie region is specified, we prove a semi-global existence result for this system and interpret these solutions in terms of the physical set-up. Solutions exist and are unique globally to the future. In this direction, the required FLRW spacetime exists and is unique and the matching hypersurface exists almost everywhere and is unique. To the past, the matching hypersurface extends to meet the past singularity of the McVittie region. We determine the causal character of the matching hypersurface in these limits, and consider the implications for the existence (or otherwise) of an isotropic source of the McVittie cosmological black hole spacetime. We find that generically, the matching hypersurface has spacelike as well as timelike portions, and so the isotropic region cannot be considered to be an interior for the McVittie exterior. This is in distinction to the Oppenheimer-Snyder model, in which an isotropic dust sphere matches across an everywhere-timelike boundary to the Schwarzschild exterior. On the basis of the sometimes-spacelike nature of the hypersurface, we conclude that an isotropic source of the McVittie spacetime does not exist in a global sense.

Alex E. Bernardini

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

Analytical solutions encompassing the so-called Hubble tension problem are revisited through the framework of Weyl--Wigner quantum mechanics and discussed in the context of generalized phase-space scenarios of quantum cosmology. After reviewing the nature of the problem and its recent developments, an extended formulation constructed within the quantum phase-space framework to address the Hubble tension is proposed. For the quantum cosmology described in the minisuperspace framework through (generic) localized phase-space quantum states, when residual quantum corrections to the Einstein--Friedmann equation are analytically derived, quantum effects are shown to suppress the Hubble tension divergence between early- and late-time predictions. Besides addressing the Hubble tension problem within the standard $Λ$CDM cosmological model, our approach encompasses generalized quantum cosmological scenarios that also include curvature and dark sector modifications.

Jonathan A. Rebouças, Edson Otoniel, M. C. Araújo, J. Furtado, Celio R. Muniz

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

Thin-shell wormholes built from effective black hole geometries are sensitive not only to the lapse function but also to the choice of areal radius. We construct a reflection-symmetric thin-shell wormhole from the positive-lapse sector of a polymer black hole surrounded by Kiselev-type quintessence and keep the nonareal angular function throughout the junction, stability, thermodynamic, and optical analyses. The Israel junction conditions give a negative surface energy density for every static throat on the positive branch, while the tangential null and intrinsic strong energy combinations are controlled by the local lapse slope. The radial dynamics is written as an effective-potential problem in which the nonareal sector produces a momentum-flux term and modifies the local stability criterion for surface equations of state with explicit radius dependence. For the sampled calibrated configurations, the linear barotropic and variable phantomlike closures remain locally unstable, whereas the variable Chaplygin gas admits finite linear radial stability windows. The same geometric correction also modifies the local first-law balance and shell entropy bookkeeping, while the optical analysis shows that cross-throat propagation generates additional inner image branches despite the wormhole and black hole geometries sharing the same exterior critical curve. These results identify how polymer corrections and a quintessence environment jointly reorganize the matter content, radial response, thermodynamic bookkeeping, and optical appearance of the resulting thin-shell wormhole.

Virgo Collaboration, F Acernese, A Agapito, D Agarwal, I-L Ahrend, L Aiello, A Ain, W Ali, A Allocca, W Amar, A Amato, F Amicucci, C Amra, M Andia, T Andri, S Antier, F Arciprete, F Armato, N Arnaud, L Asprea, M Assiduo, S Assis de Souza Melo, P Astone, F Attadio, F Aubin, G Avallone, N Avdeev, S Babak, S Bagnasco, S Baimukhametova, T Baka, G Balbi, G Baldi, N Baldicchi, G Ballardin, M Ballelli, B Banerjee, M Baratti, F Barone, M Barsuglia, D Barta, A Basti, M Bawaj, M Bazzan, F Beirnaert, M Bejger, C Bellani, D Beltran-Martinez, E Benedetti, I Bentara, S Bera, D Bersanetti, T Bertheas, A Bertolini, J Bezerra-Sobrinho, V Biancalana, F Bianchi, M Bilicki, A Binetti, S Biot, M Bitossi, M-A Bizouard, M Bloch, G Boileau, M Boldrini, R Bonnand, N Borghi, V Boschi, Y Bothra, A Boudon, A Bozzi, C Bradaschia, M Branchesi, T Briant, A Brillet, M L Brozzetti, G Bruno, F Bucci, A Buchicchio, A Buggiani, O Bulashenko, T Bulik, H J Bulten, R Buscicchio, N Busdon, D Buskulic, R Cabrita, G Cagnoli, E Calloni, E Capocasa, G Capoccia, G Capurri, F Carbognani, M Carpinelli, A Casallas-Lagos, J Casanueva Diaz, C Casentini, R Cavalieri, G Cella, P Cerd, E Cesarini, W Chaibi, E Chassande-Mottin, S Chaty, P Chessa, F Chiadini, A Chincarini, A Chiummo, A Chopra, N Christensen, G Ciani, M Cie, P Ciecielag, M Cifaldi, S Clesse, F Cleva, E Coccia, E Codazzo, P-F Cohadon, A Colombo, G Comp, L Conti, I Cordero-Carri, S Corezzi, S Cortese, L A Corubolo, A Cozzumbo, K Csuk, E Cuoco, M Cusinato, R R Cuzinatto, B D'Angelo, S D'Antonio, L D'Onofrio, D D'Urso, G D, S Dall'Osso, T Dal Canton, S Dal Pra, S Danilishin, V Dattilo, A Daumas, P Davis, J Degallaix, C J Delgado Mendez, S Della Torre, W Del Pozzo, A Demagny, G Demasi, A Depasse, J De Bolle, M De Laurentis, F De Lillo, F De Marco, F De Matteis, C de Melo, R De Pietri, R De Rosa, C De Rossi, R De Simone, S Dhage, C Diaz, F Diaz Guerra, M A Dicorato, D Diksha, J Ding, M Di Cesare, M Di Giovanni, S Di Pace, I Di Palma, D Di Piero, F Di Renzo, A Domiciano De Souza, O Dorosh, M Drago, M Dubois, U Dupletsa, H Duval, H Einsle, V Ernst, L Errico, M Esposito, F Fabrizi, V Fafone, M Fays, E Fenyvesi, A Feo, G Fern, T Fernandes, S Ferraiuolo, F Fidecaro, P Figura, I Fiori, V Fiumara, R Flaminio, F Flocco, J A Font, A Fragkos, N Franchini, F Frappez, F Frasconi, A Freise, O Freitas, S Galaudage, M Galimberti, B Garaventa, J Garc, P Garc, J Gargiulo, X Garrido, F Garufi, C Gasbarra, F Gautier, G Gemme, A Gennai, V Gennari, A Ghinassi, Archisman Ghosh, F Gittins, F Glotin, E Glowacki, S Gomez Lopez, A Goodwin-Jones, M Gosselin, C Gostiaux, R Gouaty, D Goupilliere, A Grado, M Granata, V Granata, G Greco, A C Green, C Grimaud, G M Guidi, F Gulminelli, Y Guo, M Haney, S Harikumar, J Harms, M T Hartman, B Haskell, D Hegde, H Heitmann, G Hemming, J Heynen, S Hild, D Hofman, L Honet, W-F Hsu, L Iampieri, G A Iandolo, M Ianni, A Ierardi, P Iosif, J Irwin, C Jacquet, T Jacquot, J Janquart, S Jaraba, P Jaranowski, G Joubert, B Kacskovics, A Karia, W Kiendrebeogo, S Koley, A E Koloniari, A Kr, E Kraja, S L Kranzhoff, J Kubisz, S Kuroyanagi, N Lajili, A Lakhal, M Lalleman, J A Lange, A Lartaux-Vollard, L Lavezzi, C Lazzaro, P Leaci, F Legger, A Lema, R Lemrani Alaoui, M Lenti, M Leonardi, M Lequime, N Letendre, M Lethuillier, S Lexmond, M Le Jean, T G F Li, F Liu, J-P Locquet, A Longo, M Lopez Portilla, M Lorenzini, V Loriette, M Lorusso, G Losurdo, D Lumaca, L Lunghini, A Macquet, S S Madekar, S Maenaut, E Maggio, M Magnozzi, E Majorana, N Man, M Mancarella, V Mangano, M Mantovani, M Mapelli, S Marchetti, F Marion, S Marsat, F Martelli, M Martinez, V Martinez, A Martini, J C Martins, L Massaro, A Masserot, S Mastrogiovanni, G Mastropasqua, L Maurin, L G Medeiros, L Mereni, C Michel, E Milotti, V Milotti, E Minakaki, Y Minenkov, Ll. M Mir, L Mirasola, C-A Miritescu, L Mobilia, M Montani, G Montefusco, A Moreso Serra, G Morras, A Moscatello, B Mours, C M Mow-Lowry, L Muccillo, F Muciaccia, D Nabari, S Nadji, A Nagar, D Nanadoumgar-Lacroze, V Napolano, A Nardecchia, I Nardecchia, H Narola, L Naticchioni, L Negri, A Nemmani, T C K Ng, S Nissanke, F Nocera, J Novak, M Oertel, G Oganesyan, R Oliveira, A Ouzriat, M A Palaia, C Palomba, P T H Pang, F Pannarale, M Panzeri, F Paoletti, A Paoli, A Paolone, L Papalini, G Papigkiotis, A Paquis, A Parisi, D Pascucci, A Pasqualetti, D Passuello, B Patricelli, K Paul, A Perreca, J Perret, D Pesios, C Petrillo, L Piccari, M Pichot, M Piendibene, F Piergiovanni, L Pierini, G Pierra, V Pierro, M Pillas, L Pinard, I M Pinto, M Pinto, A Pisarski, E Placidi, R Poggiani, E Polini, M Polo, J Pomper, E Porcelli, E K Porter, M Pracchia, G Principe, G A Prodi, P Prosperi, P Prosposito, M Punturo, P Puppo, G Qu, I Rainho, P Rapagnani, M Razzano, T Regimbau, A I Renzini, B Revenu, A Revilla-Pe, F Ricci, M Ricci, A Ricciardone, A Riminucci, F Robinet, A Rocchi, L Rolland, R Romano, A Romero-Rodr, S Ronchini, D Rosi, S Roy, D Rozza, P Ruggi, E Ruiz Morales, F Safai Tehrani, P Saffarieh, T Sainrat, S Sajith Menon, L Salconi, F Salemi, M Sall, M Salom, S Salvador, A Samajdar, N Sanchis-Gual, F Santoliquido, F Sarandrea, P Sassi, B Sassolas, M Schoor, K Schouteden, M Schulz, M Scialpi, M Seglar-Arroyo, J W Seo, V Sequino, M Serra, A Sevrin, L Silenzi, P J S Silva, L Silvestri, L Smith, S Soares de Albuquerque Filho, V Sordini, F Sorrentino, F Spada, V Spagnuolo, M Spera, P Spinicelli, D A Steer, J Steinlechner, S Steinlechner, N Stergioulas, M Suchenek, S Sudhagar, J Sun, J Suresh, A Svizzeretto, B L Swinkels, A Syx, M J Szczepa, M Tacca, M Tagliazucchi, I Takimoto Schmiegelow, N Tamanini, L Tao, E N Tapia San Mart, A Theodoropoulos, J Tissino, P Tiwari, E Tofani, M Toffano, I Tosta e Melo, E Tournefier, A Trapananti, R Travaglini, F Travasso, M C Tringali, G Troian, A Trovato, L Trozzo, M Turconi, C Turski, H Ubach, M Vacatello, M Valentini, E Vallejo-Pag, S Vallero, M van Dael, E Van den Bossche, J F J van den Brand, C Van Den Broeck, M van der Kolk, M van der Sluys, A Van de Walle, J van Dongen, H van Haevermaet, J V van Heijningen, P Van Hove, N van Remortel, M Vardaro, G Vedovato, S Venikoudis, P Verdier, M Vereecken, D Verkindt, S Verma, F Vetrano, A Veutro, A Vicer, N Villanueva Espinosa, J-Y Vinet, S Viret, H Vocca, M Was, M Wils, I C F Wong, T Wouters, M Wright, Z Wu, N Yadav, M Zanatta, T Zelenova, J-P Zendri, M Zeoli, M Zerrad, J Zhang, Y Zhao, L Zhizhong, L Zimmermann

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

From April 10, 2024 to November 18, 2025 Advanced Virgo participated in the fourth observing run of the network of gravitational-wave detectors, together with Advanced LIGO and KAGRA. For this observing run Advanced Virgo has completed its design optical configuration with the installation of a signal recycling mirror. In this paper we describe the challenges encountered in commissioning this optical configuration, alongside the other upgrades performed between the third and fourth observing run. The Virgo detector operated with a 68.9% duty cycle and with an angle-averaged median range to binary neutron star mergers of 53 Mpc.

Cezar Condeescu, Andrei Micu

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: hep-th

In this note we construct, from a gauge theory perspective, the world-line action for a particle moving on a time-like curve in Weyl geometry. The action we find is dimensionless, Weyl invariant, additive and, in general, non-local due to an open Wilson line which we have to add in order to account for a general Weyl field. In special cases, this Wilson line can be local, but the geometry becomes integrable. The action can not be used to measure the proper time as it is dimensionless and no mass parameter is allowed in the symmetric phase of the theory. We show that the usual conditions for defining proper time: affine parametrization, dimension of time and additivity supplemented by the requirement of Weyl invariance can not be fulfilled simultaneously and therefore no satisfactory notion of proper time exists in the symmetric phase. Under spontaneous symmetry breaking the particle acquires a mass, the action becomes Riemannian and the proper time can be again defined. We also construct a classically equivalent quadratic action by using an einbein on the world-line and show that the non-locality can be seen to arise from integrating out a constrained field.

Stefano Liberati, Valentin Pomakov, Samuele Silveravalle

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

Motivated by their common condensed-matter inspiration and their shared aim of reconciling MOND-like phenomenology on galactic scales with particle dark matter on larger scales, we investigate the relation between Superfluid Dark Matter (SFDM) and Bose--Einstein Condensate Dark Matter (BECDM). Since SFDM is formulated in the Newtonian regime whereas BECDM is fully relativistic, we first show that the MONDian formulation of SFDM arises as the Newtonian, low-acceleration limit of a Relativistic AQUAdratic Lagrangian (RAQUAL) theory in the Einstein frame. We then transform its covariant interaction sector to the Jordan frame and compare it with BECDM. The phonon--baryon interaction of SFDM maps onto the BECDM derivative coupling to the Einstein tensor, supplemented by a small non-minimal coupling to the Ricci scalar. The interaction sectors are therefore equivalent up to a linear perturbation of the Einstein--Hilbert term. Their kinetic sectors, however, remain inequivalent: the standard quadratic kinetic term of BECDM cannot be mapped onto the non-analytic kinetic term required by SFDM. The two models are consequently related but not dynamically equivalent. This mapping provides a covariant interpretation of the SFDM interaction and clarifies which theoretical properties can be transferred between the two frameworks.

Bhagwat Gidhad, A. S. Agrawal, S. A. Kadam

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

We propose a reconstructed cosmological model in the framework of $f(Q,T)$ gravity, that provides a unified description of the early- and late-time evolution of the Universe. The model exhibits a non-singular asymmetric bounce, smoothly connecting an initial contracting phase to the subsequent expanding Universe and naturally evolving into a late-time dark energy-dominated epoch. Our study focuses on the progression of the Hubble parameter, energy density, pressure, and the parameter. This analysis aims to define the various stages of cosmic evolution and explore the characteristics of dark energy. The analysis of energy conditions reveals that the essential conditions for achieving a non-singular bounce are violated. Overall, the $f(Q, T)$ gravity model, once reconstructed, effectively captures the cosmic dynamics surrounding the bounce. It offers a cohesive theoretical framework that reliably explains the Universe's evolution during both its early and late stages.

Arianna Foschi, Frederic H. Vincent, Thibaut Paumard, Guy Perrin

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: astro-ph.GA

Stellar orbits are key for probing the environment of the supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center, Sagittarius A$^*$. So far, the mass around SgrA$^*$ has been assumed to be spherically distributed. However, the extended mass may instead be flattened, creating disk-like structures. We investigate the effects that a thin disk structure would have on stars at the Galactic Center, focusing on star S2 and S301 and the clockwise stellar disk. We derive analytically the acceleration exerted by a disk with power law density $Σ\propto r^{-γ}$. We use this acceleration to compute the osculating equations and the variations of the orbital elements, showing how the latter depend on the orientation of the disk with respect to the orbital plane. We find that the disk structure induces a secular shift in the semi-latus rectum, an extra in-plane precession and an out-of-plane precession. The former is neither present at the low-order post Newtonian description that we use for the black hole, nor when a spherical mass distribution is considered. The latter can be competitive with the Lense-Thirring precession induced by the spin of SgrA$^*$ on S301 motion, depending on the mass, the radial extent and the orientation of the disk. Since the Lense-Thirring precession is negligible in S2 motion, the out-of-plane precession can be used to place upper limits on the non luminous mass of disk-like structures at the Galactic Center. The limits might significantly differ from those obtained for spherical distributions and depend on the disk parameters. These results highlight the importance of constraining disk-like structures when using stellar orbits to probe the central black hole, in particular its spin. Once mass estimates are at hand, one can quantify the disk's effect on S301 motion and the resulting degeneracy with a future measurement of SgrA$^*$ spin.

Rakesh K Jha, Akhil U Nair, Prasant Samantray, Sashideep Gutti

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

In this article, we use the expression of the Schwarzian derivative to set up differential equations to find answers to three fundamental questions in the context of QFT in curved spacetime, specifically in two dimensions. One of the ways in which one can derive the Unruh effect in two dimensions is to use the anomalous transformation law of the energy-momentum tensor for a CFT that involves a Schwarzian derivative (Virasoro Anomaly). We answer the following three questions. The first question is as follows: If we have a spacetime with a massless scalar field in vacuum, what are all the subsets of spacetime such that the subset has a thermal distribution of particles for the left-moving and/or right-moving sectors? We obtain a general solution to this question by setting up and solving a third-order nonlinear differential equation based on the expression of Schwarzian. Based on the general solution, we can generate various subsets of the given spacetime that have a thermal flux/density of particles, of which the Rindler spacetime is one. The second question is an inverse question in which we suppose we are given a spacetime with a thermal distribution of particles; what are the possible purifying spacetimes (the ``parent'' spacetimes with the field in vacuum state whose reduced state in the given spacetime yields the observed particle content)? We similarly obtain a general class of solutions by setting up and solving a second differential equation. In this context, we also define ``partial purification'' where we obtain a spacetime that purifies only the left-moving or right-moving sector. The third question concerns locating spacetimes with the same particle content starting from the same ``parent'' spacetime. These sibling spacetimes are generated again by obtaining the general solution of a third differential equation based on the expression of Schwarzian.

Alex Kehagias, Antonio Riotto

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

The tidal deformability of a compact object is encoded in a single function of frequency, the retarded Green's function relating the induced multipole to the applied tide. Causality, reality, passivity, and the high-frequency conditions required for a positive-measure dispersion representation allow this response to be rescaled into a holomorphic self-map of the upper complex frequency half-plane. Using the Schwarz--Pick theorem, already employed to derive the quantum chaos bound in black hole physics, we provide a bound on the rate of the tidal response with respect to the frequency. For a neutron star the dynamical Love number is bounded in terms of the static one and of the frequency of the first internal mode, with the single-mode ($f$-mode) model saturating the bound. For a black hole, the bound gives information on the dissipative tidal-heating coefficient.

Yipeng Xu

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: quant-ph

Relational quantum causal processes formulate finite operational contexts as normal positive functionals on local completely positive maps. Response differences generate an influence algebra, and its central projections define jointly readable Boolean events. We develop this starting point through a sequence of exact and controlled models. Fresh-environment unitary collision circuits produce dephasing-exchange kinetics with an exact charge-center fixed algebra, a uniform finite-step limit at fixed response order, and graph-controlled metastable Markov dynamics. An absorbing-state model exhibits a sharp transition between non-Abelian quantum memory and Boolean records. A reversal-covariant defect dynamics generates a locally finite partial order on a restricted graph family without assuming a Lyapunov time. Conditional on a certified order, a positive additive record measure, compactness, and identifiability, we prove subsequential convergence to a Lorentzian metric-measure space, finite reconstruction bounds, and uniqueness of admissible smooth limits. Complementary finite regulators provide controlled tests of modular-to-boost response, null tomography, same-update variational identities, induced quadratic gravity, and compatible common-refinement limits. These results are exact or controlled within their stated models, but they do not yet constitute a single background-independent microscopic law that jointly generates adjacency, time, volume normalization, dimension, signature, nonlinear Einstein constraints, and quantum matter. We therefore present RQCP-QG as a theorem-indexed framework that separates established mechanisms, conditional compositions, and open assumptions.

Yixuan Liu, Renate Meyer, Nelson Christensen, Jeung Eun Lee, Jianan Liu, Patricio Maturana-Russel, Avi Vajpeyi

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

This paper addresses the important problem of estimating the noise spectral density of next-generation gravitational-wave detectors, such as LISA and the Einstein Telescope (ET), where cross-channel correlations must be accounted for to avoid biased parameter estimation of gravitational-wave signals. Unlike approaches that estimate test-mass and optical-metrology-system noise separately at the single-link level and then map them to the Time-Delay Interferometry (TDI) channels through known transfer functions, we develop a Bayesian nonparametric method that directly estimates the spectral density matrix of the XYZ channels, thereby accommodating additional sources of uncertainty. Our approach combines a flexible matrix-gamma process prior on the matrix-valued coefficients of a Bernstein polynomial basis expansion with a blocked multivariate Whittle likelihood. The prior guarantees Hermitian positive definiteness of the spectral estimate at every frequency. To avoid reversible-jump methods, we use an adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm for posterior sampling. The proposed framework can also be used to correct misspecified parametric noise models. Results from a simulation study and simulated correlated-noise data for both LISA and ET demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Andrea Geralico

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

The gravitational waveform generated by the scattering of two nonspinning bodies is computed in the frequency domain in the extreme-mass-ratio limit at the eighth post-Minkowskian (PM) order (i.e., $O(G^8)$, or six-loop) and at the fractional sixth post-Newtonian (PN) order. Previous results at $O(G^4)$ are completed here by computing the 5PM radiated angular momentum as well as the 6PM radiation-reacted scattering angle. Up to that order the waveform is expressed in terms of few master integrals, with integrands bilinear in (modified) Bessel functions, leading to iterated Bessel functions which can be in turn expressed in terms of Meijer G functions. Starting from $O(G^5)$ (four-loop) the structure of Fourier integrals becomes quite involved. In fact, there are several new families of master integrals, which can be shown to satisfy inhomogeneous Bessel equations with master integrals of lower order as sources. Although limited to the first order in the mass ratio, the results presented here significantly improve the accuracy of the scattering waveform, currently known at the one-loop level from quantum-amplitude-based computations or at the two-loop level (but with 2PN accuracy only) by using the multipolar-post-Minkowskian formalism.

Sebastian H. Völkel, Nicola Franchini

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

The recent gravitational-wave detection GW250114 by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) Collaboration provides unprecedented precision for testing general relativity (GR) through black hole ringdowns. In this study, we provide the first bounds on theory-agnostic deviations from the Teukolsky equation as described by the beyond-Teukolsky formalism. It directly connects deviations in the perturbation equations on the level of the effective potential in the Teukolsky equation with changes in the quasinormal mode (QNM) spectrum. We incorporate information on the final mass and spin from a full LVK inspiral-merger-ringdown analysis as parametrized priors in our analysis, reflecting theoretical uncertainties. Using publicly available LVK posterior information on agnostic damped sinusoid parameters, we then demonstrate how much beyond-Teukolsky potentials can be constrained. The high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) allows us to avoid the expensive full Bayesian analysis of all parameters and to work directly with a simplified likelihood for the fundamental QNM only. This strategy is promising for future events with even higher SNR and allows, in principle, for a quick and simple test of theories beyond GR without performing the full data analysis procedure. We report that current bounds on deviation parameters are in agreement with the Teukolsky equation.

Wei-Hao Zhang, Yu-Sen An

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

In this work, we investigate the effect of chaotic orbits on the extreme mass ratio inspiral (EMRI) gravitational wave signals where the central black hole is corrected by quantum conformal anomaly. We utilize the numerical kludge method to compute gravitational waveforms produced by the compact object along different orbital trajectories, and also derive the corresponding frequency distribution and energy spectra of gravitational waves. Our calculations reveal that variations in orbital energy or anomaly coefficient drive the orbital evolution from regular integrable motion to chaotic motion, and such dynamical transition leaves clear imprints on gravitational-wave signal. Specifically, gravitational waves originating from chaotic orbits feature pronounced irregular and time-varying amplitude fluctuations, accompanied by abundant fine spectral spikes and extended continuous spectral distributions in both frequency and energy domains, which differ drastically from the gravitational radiation generated by the regular non-chaotic orbits. Moreover, we evaluate the detectability by comparing the calculated characteristic strain of gravitational waves emitted by the compact object on different orbits with the sensitivity curves of future space-based GW detectors, including LISA, Taiji and TianQin. The results demonstrate that these detectors are capable of capturing gravitational-wave signals from chaotic systems modified by conformal anomalies, which provide a potential pathway for detecting conformal anomaly correction in astronomical observation.

Yoshimune Tomikawa, Ichika Obara, Takumi Orimo

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

In general relativity, exact Liouvillian solutions for a static and spherically symmetric spacetime with a perfect fluid and the equation of state $p(r)=wρ(r)$ are known only for $w=0,-\frac{1}{6}, -\frac{1}{5}, -\frac{1}{3}, -1$. We extend this setup to Rastall's theory, presenting the relation between the Rastall parameter and the constant $w$, and deriving exact solutions that correspond to the known counterparts in general relativity, except for $w=-\frac{1}{6}$. Furthermore, we find that, when $w\neq \frac{1}{3}, -1$, there exist several types of solutions whose behavior changes depending on the choice of constants.

Masroor C. Pookkillath, Shinji Tsujikawa

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: astro-ph.CO

We construct a linearly stable scalar-field model that realizes both an upward crossing of the dark-energy equation of state, from $w_{\rm DE}<-1$ to $w_{\rm DE}>-1$, and weakened gravitational clustering in the cold dark matter (CDM) sector. An exponential potential breaks shift symmetry and drives the background from a stable phantom phase toward the nonphantom regime, while a pure momentum-transfer interaction increases the dynamical inertia of CDM without altering its background dilution law. We derive the background and linear perturbation equations and establish the no-ghost and Laplacian-stability conditions. For perturbations deep inside the Hubble radius, where the quasi-static approximation applies, the effective gravitational coupling for CDM can fall below Newton's constant, suppressing late-time growth and small-scale matter power, while the baryonic coupling remains enhanced by Galileon braiding. A modified CLASS calculation, including the scalar-field perturbation and the full Boltzmann hierarchies, reveals signatures of transient braiding around radiation--matter equality. For the representative stable solutions studied here, these signatures include an enhancement of matter power toward the lowest wavenumbers probed numerically and a reduction of CMB temperature power over the multipole range $2\leq\ell\leq30$. We also find small shifts in the acoustic scale and the position of the first temperature peak. These results motivate a full likelihood analysis of the model.

Maribel Hernández Márquez, Miguel Alcubierre

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

In this work we solve the coupled Einstein-Dirac-Maxwell (EDM) system for static spherically symmetric configurations of two fermions in a singlet spinor state within the $3+1$ formalism of general relativity. We find different families of stationary self-gravitating solutions for the Dirac field through a numerical shooting method for different values of the electric charge parameter q. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of the charge q on the binding energy, mass, radius, and compactness of the solutions. We show that gravitationally bound configurations exist only for $q<m$, with m the mass of the Dirac field, and that the mass frequency relation exhibits the characteristic spiral structure previously found for bosonic fields of spin $s=0$ and $s=1$. We are able to show that some of these gravitationally bound configurations have a compactness comparable to that of neutron stars. With these results, we conclude that at least at the classical level, self-gravitating fields with different spins $s=0,1/2,1$ share some common characteristics when they are coupled to gravity. As has been previously shown for the case of bosonic stars, we also find some super-critical solutions with q slightly larger than m. Such super-critical solutions correspond to configurations such that in the Newtonian regime the Coulomb repulsion overcomes the gravitational attraction, and as such they would not be expected to exist. Nevertheless, even if they do exist in the general relativistic case for a limited range of values of $q>m$, we find that they are always gravitationally unbound.

William K. Black, David W. Neilsen, Eric W. Hirschmann, David F. Van Komen

Published: 2026-07-29

Categories: gr-qc

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) launches in less than a decade; it will detect spinning high-mass-ratio binary black hole inspirals annually, alongside other third-generation gravitational wave detectors. High-mass-ratio systems occupy a regime where numerical-relativity simulations remain computationally expensive and technically demanding, especially with high spins at precessing orientations. This portion of parameter space thus remains undersampled, leading to significant bias in parameter estimation. We must close these gaps. Here we report key progress in Dendro-GR toward reducing the computational cost of high-mass-ratio binaries with spin. We evolve the first Dendro-GR binaries at mass ratio $q=24$ (nonspinning) and at $q=12$ with spins up to $χ=0.8$ on both black holes, spanning various configurations. These proof-of-concept runs show strong evidence that Dendro-GR can simulate in this regime and beyond. The simulations generate accurate gravitational waveforms through multipole modes up to $\ell=8$, remain stable, keep constraint violations low and largely constant, conserve horizon mass, and have high computational efficiency with relatively low wall-hour cost. These results establish our starting line for systematic exploration of the high-mass-ratio, high-spin binary black hole systems that are needed for gravitational wave analysis.

Adão S. da Silva Junior, Juan M. Z. Pretel, Henrique Boschi-Filho

Published: 2026-07-28

Categories: hep-th

We study the nucleon spectra in two holographic set-ups: Einstein-dilaton and Starobinsky-dilaton gravity models. The Einstein-dilaton holographic model, also known as improved holographic QCD, have been proposed some time ago to describe confinement and glueball spectra. Recently, it has been applied to the case of mesons and nucleons. In this work, we reconsider the Einstein-dilaton holographic model to discuss the nucleon spectra introducing new parameters that allow us to improve the comparison with experimental data. Then, we extend this idea to the context of Starobinsky-dilaton gravity defining another improved holographic model. We use this new holographic model to reanalyse the nucleon spectra and also compare them with soft-wall model and experimental data.

Y. Tavakoli, A. Khaleghi Ardabili, S. Mosaddegh

Published: 2026-07-28

Categories: gr-qc

This article reviews a Hamiltonian framework for describing Dirac fermions propagating on quantum cosmological spacetimes within loop quantum cosmology. Expanding the fermionic field in spinor harmonics on a closed Friedmann--Lemaître--Robertson--Walker background reduces the dynamics to a collection of time-dependent Fermi oscillators, providing a Schrödinger-picture description of fermionic perturbations on a quantum geometry. We discuss the emergence of dressed metrics in the test-field approximation, showing that massive fermions probe both temporal and spatial quantum-geometry corrections, whereas massless fermions, owing to conformal invariance, are affected only through a reparametrization of time. We further review the incorporation of fermionic backreaction within a Born--Oppenheimer framework, where the finite-dimensional Hilbert space of each fermionic mode gives rise to two distinct backreaction channels that naturally generate mode-dependent dressed (rainbow) metrics. Finally, we discuss the cosmological implications of fermionic backreaction, including state-dependent modifications of the quantum bounce and the emergence of an effective cosmological constant in the semiclassical regime. These results highlight the distinctive role of fermionic matter in loop quantum cosmology and outline open directions for understanding quantum fields on quantum spacetimes.

Marco Antonio Cardoso Alvarez, Micol Benetti, Leila Graef, Robert Brandenberger

Published: 2026-07-28

Categories: astro-ph.CO

We introduce a novel cosmological model that provides an effective description of the back-reaction of super-Hubble fluctuations on the cosmological background, a generic effect expected to arise in any cosmological scenario without requiring additional ingredients. At the phenomenological level, it can be interpreted as an interacting dark sector scenario in which the sign of the energy transfer changes periodically over time. We constrain the model using CMB, BAO, and Type Ia supernova data. We find that a significant amplitude of the oscillatory interaction is allowed by the data, although there is no statistically significant preference for this model over $Λ$CDM.

Arián Gorza, Facundo Arreyes, Juan Sebastián Ardenghi

Published: 2026-07-28

Categories: cond-mat.mes-hall

We study the quantum transport of massless Dirac fermions through two asymptotically flat graphene sheets connected by a structurally asymmetric catenoid wormhole in $(2+1)$-dimensional curved spacetime. Analytic scattering basis functions are derived: Hankel functions of integer order (in the half-flux sector) in the flat sheets and Gauss hypergeometric functions in the curved throat. We construct a transfer matrix via piecewise numerical matching, verifying unitarity up to numerical precision. The transmission probability rises monotonically to unity at high energies. Global transmission exhibits mirror degeneracy under inversion of structural asymmetry, but local observables depend on incidence direction. The manifold's spin connection acts as a Hermitian coupling inducing an $A/B$ sublattice imbalance at the throat. Structural asymmetry induces a local pseudospin imbalance. A larger curvature radius enhances $P_z$ polarization via a larger geometric phase; abrupt incidence suppresses it. Sub-barrier modes exhibit a negative transmission phase time, compatible with Hartman-type wave-packet reshaping.

Daniel Lanchares, Lysiane Mornas, Luigi Toffolatti, Pietro Vischia

Published: 2026-07-28

Categories: astro-ph.IM

Discussions around the design philosophy and location of the next generation of ground-based gravitational wave detectors are still underway. In this context, we propose IfoScout, an innovative methodology for detector co-design based on state-of-the-art machine-learning (ML) techniques. We present a two-stage simulation of a network of fictional L-shaped interferometers whose sensitivity is optimized within physical and geographical constraints, indirectly resulting in reducing the costs. To achieve this, we gather publicly available data for two token locations and establish the length and orientation with reinforcement learning (RL). Next, we optimize the internal detector parameters related to cavity stability to achieve the best possible sensitivity by means of differential programming (DP). We make the case that IfoScout could have a positive impact on the final design of new generation detectors (e.g. the Einstein Telescope, the Cosmic Explorer, etc.), given precise data (e.g. geographical and geological maps of chosen sites) and detailed, realistic simulations of the interferometers.

Bruno Valeixo Bento

Published: 2026-07-28

Categories: hep-th

CasimirRFM is a Mathematica package for the study of compactifications on Riemann-flat manifolds and the computation of one-loop Casimir energies in higher-dimensional field theories and supergravity. It implements an efficient numerical evaluation of lattice sums using Ewald summation, and computes both lower-dimensional Casimir potentials and local higher-dimensional Casimir energy densities, allowing for general massless spectra and twisted boundary conditions. The package provides tools for constructing and analysing the finite groups defining these manifolds, determining invariant metrics and cohomology bases, identifying compatible spin structures, and computing moduli-space metrics. Moreover, it evaluates the traces of holonomy elements in the graviton, $p$-form, spinor, and Rarita-Schwinger representations. We describe the mathematical formulation and numerical implementation of the package, and illustrate its use through a compactification of Type IIB supergravity on $T^6/\mathbb{Z}_8$, including the computation of the Casimir potential and the visualization of localised Casimir-brane contributions.

Antonio De Felice, Lavinia Heisenberg, Gonzalo J. Olmo, Carlos Pastor-Marcos

Published: 2026-07-28

Categories: gr-qc

We study electromagnetic wave propagation in metric--affine geometries, where torsion and non-metricity may be present and the coupling between electromagnetism and spacetime is no longer unique. Rather than choosing a particular coupling prescription a priori, we construct electromagnetic sectors that preserve standard $U(1)$ gauge invariance and projective invariance of the affine connection as guiding symmetry principles. We introduce two representative models, one in which the Maxwell term is dressed by a scalar prefactor built from non-Riemannian invariants, and another in which the kinetic term is modified by a rank--four constitutive tensor acting as an anisotropic medium. We derive their geometric--optics limits and show that their couplings can modify the effective light cone, change the relation between field amplitude and intensity, induce polarization-dependent propagation, and generate birefringence and mode mixing. These results thus provide the formal basis for a broader phenomenological study connecting torsion and non-metricity with electromagnetic observables in concrete metric--affine backgrounds, including black-hole imaging, birefringent lensing, polarization observables, and departures from photon-number conservation.

Pau Amaro Seoane, Xian Chen, Alejandro Torres-Orjuela, Reinhard Genzel, Frank Eisenhauer, Thomas Ott, Stefan Gillessen, Guillaume Bourdarot, Diogo C. Ribeiro, Matteo Sadun Bordoni, Simran Joharle, Felix Mang, Andreas Burkert, Jorge Cuadra, Diego Calderón, Hagai B. Perets, Tsvi Piran, Thorsten Naab, Re'em Sari

Published: 2026-07-28

Categories: astro-ph.GA

Stellar trajectories around the Galactic Center provide a testing environment for general relativity. The intrinsic rotation of these stars evolves under covariant transport in curved spacetime and classical Newtonian quadrupole torques. We analyze the recently observed S301 S-star to quantify the relativistic precession of its rotational axis. Its 8.7-year period and eccentricity of $e = 0.982$ localize geodetic precession and Newtonian quadrupole torques to a step function at periapsis. We incorporate first-order post-Newtonian corrections into the orbital kinematics to calculate the spatial trajectory. Sampling an isotropic distribution of initial orientations and viewing geometries over a 40-year period across a grid of equatorial velocities and rotational ellipticities, we calculate the statistical likelihood of an absolute shift in the projected rotational line broadening, $|Δv \sin i|$. The relativistic geodetic shift scales linearly with $v_{\rm rot}$ and the classical quadrupole shift is independent of rotation speed, scaling with $q$. The absolute maximum velocity shift saturates at $46.1\,\kms$ for oblate stars. The absolute median shifts, driven by geodetic precession, range from $3\,\kms$ to $6.3\,\kms$. We calculate the time-domain observable $|Δv \sin i|$ to provide a target for infrared spectrographs testing the Schwarzschild metric around Sgr~A$^\ast$. The spin of S301 acts as a flying gyroscope whose drift, if measured, can test Einstein's theory in a regime that has not previously been accessible.

Luca Brunelli, Michele Cicoli, Muhammad Hassan, Seyed Ehsan Qoreishi, Francisco Gil Pedro

Published: 2026-07-28

Categories: hep-th

Post inflationary string cosmology can feature an initial population of multiple species of cosmic superstrings whose tension is controlled by a modulus rolling over a steep potential toward a late-time minimum. We perform a full analysis of the associated dynamical system, finding that overshooting the minimum is prevented by the friction of a radiation background of gravitational waves produced from the early decay of effective strings arising from NS5- and D3-branes wrapped around internal cycles. On the other hand, fundamental strings survive longer and decay when the modulus is oscillating around the minimum and they have about $1/3$ of the total energy density. The spectrum of gravitational waves generated by the decays of these multiple cosmic superstrings, even if diluted by a late epoch of modulus domination, can still result in a high-frequency, multi-peaked signal, offering an observational signature of generic features of string theory.