Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• On the complex structure of Yang-Mills theory

  Jan Horak, Jan M. Pawlowski, Nicolas Wink

  SciPost Phys. Core 8, 048 (2025) · published 7 July 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We consider the coupled set of spectral Dyson-Schwinger equations in Yang-Mills theory for ghost and gluon propagators. Within this set-up, we perform a systematic analytic evaluation of the constraints on generalised spectral representations in Yang-Mills theory that are most relevant for informed spectral reconstructions. Furthermore, we provide numerical results for the coupled set of ghost and gluon spectral functions for a range of potential mass gaps of the gluon, while allowing for small violations of the spectral representation. The analyses are accompanied by thorough discussion of the limitations and extensions of the present work.

  3 citations

• Learning the simplicity of scattering amplitudes

  Clifford Cheung, Aurélien Dersy, Matthew D. Schwartz

  SciPost Phys. 18, 040 (2025) · published 3 February 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The simplification and reorganization of complex expressions lies at the core of scientific progress, particularly in theoretical high-energy physics. This work explores the application of machine learning to a particular facet of this challenge: the task of simplifying scattering amplitudes expressed in terms of spinor-helicity variables. We demonstrate that an encoder-decoder transformer architecture achieves impressive simplification capabilities for expressions composed of handfuls of terms. Lengthier expressions are implemented in an additional embedding network, trained using contrastive learning, which isolates subexpressions that are more likely to simplify. The resulting framework is capable of reducing expressions with hundreds of terms—a regular occurrence in quantum field theory calculations—to vastly simpler equivalent expressions. Starting from lengthy input expressions, our networks can generate the Parke-Taylor formula for five-point gluon scattering, as well as new compact expressions for five-point amplitudes involving scalars and gravitons. An interactive demonstration can be found at https://spinorhelicity.streamlit.app.

  3 citations

• Determining $\alpha_s$ from hadronic $\tau$ decay: the pitfalls of truncating the OPE

  Diogo Boito, Maarten Golterman, Kim Maltman, Santiago Peris

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 1, 053 (2019) · published 22 February 2019 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We discuss sum-rule determinations of $\alpha_s$ from non-strange hadronic $\tau$-decay data. We investigate, in particular, the reliability of the assumptions underlying the ``truncated OPE strategy,'' which specifies a certain treatment of non-perturbative contributions, and which was employed in Refs.~\cite{Pich,Aleph, Opal}. Here, we test this strategy by applying the strategy to the $R$-ratio obtained from $e^+e^-$ data, which extend beyond the $\tau$ mass, and demonstrate that the assumptions underlying this strategy are not, in general, valid. We then present a brief overview of new results on the form of duality-violating non-perturbative contributions, which are conspicuously present in the experimentally determined spectral functions. As we show, with the current precision claimed for the extraction of $\alpha_s$, including a representation of duality violations is unavoidable if one wishes to avoid uncontrolled theoretical errors.

  3 citations

• The asymptotic structure of cosmological integrals

  Paolo Benincasa, Francisco Vazão

  SciPost Phys. 19, 029 (2025) · published 11 August 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We provide a general analysis of the asymptotic behaviour of perturbative contributions to observables in arbitrary power-law FRW cosmologies, indistinctly the Bunch-Davies wavefunction of the universe and cosmological correlators. We consider a large class of scalar toy models, including conformally-coupled and massless scalars in arbitrary dimensions, that admits a first principle definition in terms of (generalised/weighted) cosmological polytopes. The perturbative contributions to an observable can be expressed as an integral of the canonical function associated to such polytopes and to site- and edge-weighted graphs. We show how the asymptotic behaviour of these integrals is governed by a special class of nestohedra living in the graph-weight space, both at tree and loop level. As the singularities of a cosmological process described by a graph can be associated to its subgraphs, we provide a realisation of the nestohedra as a sequential truncation of a top-dimensional simplex based on the underlying graph. This allows us to determine all the possible directions – both in the infra-red and in the ultra-violet –, where the integral can diverge as well as their degree of divergence. Both of them are associated to the facets of the nestohedra, which are identified by overlapping tubings of the graph: the specific tubing determines the divergent directions while the number of overlapping tubings its degree of divergence. This combinatorial formulation makes straightforward the application of sector decomposition for extracting the – both leading and subleading – divergences from the integral, as the sectors in which the integration domain can be tiled are identified by the collection of compatible facets of the nestohedra, with the latter that can be determined via the graph tubings. Finally, the leading divergence has a beautiful interpretation as a restriction of the canonical function of the relevant polytope onto a special hyperplane.

  3 citations

• Analytic neutrino oscillation probabilities

  Chee Sheng Fong

  SciPost Phys. 15, 013 (2023) · published 18 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In the work, we derive exact analytic expressions for $(3+N)$-flavor neutrino oscillation probabilities in an arbitrary matter potential in term of matrix elements and eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian. With the analytic expressions, we demonstrate that nonunitary and nonstandard neutrino interaction scenarios are physically distinct: they satisfy different identities and can in principle be distinguished experimentally. The analytic expressions are implemented in a public code NuProbe, a tool for probing new physics through neutrino oscillations.

  3 citations

• The representation theory of seam algebras

  Alexis Langlois-Rémillard, Yvan Saint-Aubin

  SciPost Phys. 8, 019 (2020) · published 5 February 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The boundary seam algebras $\mathsf{b}_{n,k}(\beta=q+q^{-1})$ were introduced by Morin-Duchesne, Ridout and Rasmussen to formulate algebraically a large class of boundary conditions for two-dimensional statistical loop models. The representation theory of these algebras $\mathsf{b}_{n,k}(\beta=q+q^{-1})$ is given: their irreducible, standard (cellular) and principal modules are constructed and their structure explicited in terms of their composition factors and of non-split short exact sequences. The dimensions of the irreducible modules and of the radicals of standard ones are also given. The methods proposed here might be applicable to a large family of algebras, for example to those introduced recently by Flores and Peltola, and Cramp\'e and Poulain d'Andecy.

  3 citations

• Drell-Yan transverse spectra at the LHC: a comparison of parton branching and analytical resummation approaches

  Aron Mees van Kampen

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 151 (2022) · published 14 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  I report on precision comparisons of theoretical predictions for Drell-Yan (DY) transverse momentum spectra from two approaches: the analytical resummation approach based on Collins-Soper-Sterman (CSS) formalism and the parton branching (PB) approach to the evolution of transverse momentum dependent (TMD) parton distributions.

  3 citations

• Boundary operator expansion and extraordinary phase transition in the tricritical O(N) model

  Xinyu Sun, Shao-Kai Jian

  SciPost Phys. 18, 210 (2025) · published 27 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study the boundary extraordinary transition of a three-dimensional (3D) tricritical $O(N)$ model. We first compute the mean-field Green's function with a general coupling of $|\vec \phi|^{2n}$ (with $n=3$ corresponding to the tricritical model) at the extraordinary phase transition. Then, using layer susceptibility, we obtain the boundary operator expansion for the transverse and longitudinal modes within the $\epsilon=3 - d$ expansion. Based on these results, we demonstrate that the tricritical point exhibits an extraordinary transition characterized by an ordered boundary for any $N$. This provides the first nontrivial example of continuous symmetry breaking in 2D in the context of boundary criticality.

  3 citations

• Relative cluster entropy for power-law correlated sequences

  Anna Carbone, Linda Ponta

  SciPost Phys. 13, 076 (2022) · published 30 September 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We propose an information-theoretical measure, the \textit{relative cluster entropy} $\mathcal{D_{C}}[P \| Q] $, to discriminate among cluster partitions characterised by probability distribution functions $P$ and $Q$. The measure is illustrated with the clusters generated by pairs of fractional Brownian motions with Hurst exponents $H_1$ and $H_2$ respectively. For subdiffusive, normal and superdiffusive sequences, the relative entropy sensibly depends on the difference between $H_1$ and $H_2$. By using the \textit{minimum relative entropy} principle, cluster sequences characterized by different correlation degrees are distinguished and the optimal Hurst exponent is selected. As a case study, real-world cluster partitions of market price series are compared to those obtained from fully uncorrelated sequences (simple Browniam motions) assumed as a model. The \textit{minimum relative cluster entropy} yields optimal Hurst exponents $H_1=0.55$, $H_1=0.57$, and $H_1=0.63$ respectively for the prices of DJIA, S\&P500, NASDAQ: a clear indication of non-markovianity. Finally, we derive the analytical expression of the relative cluster entropy and the outcomes are discussed for arbitrary pairs of power-laws probability distribution functions of continuous random variables.

  3 citations

• Emergence of generalized hydrodynamics in the non-local Luttinger model

  Per Moosavi

  SciPost Phys. 9, 037 (2020) · published 11 September 2020 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We propose the Luttinger model with finite-range interactions as a simple tractable example in 1+1 dimensions to analytically study the emergence of Euler-scale hydrodynamics in a quantum many-body system. This non-local Luttinger model is an exactly solvable quantum field theory somewhere between conformal and Bethe-ansatz integrable models. Applying the recent proposal of generalized hydrodynamics, we show that the model allows for fully explicit yet non-trivial solutions of the resulting Euler-scale hydrodynamic equations. Comparing with exact analytical non-equilibrium results valid at all time and length scales, we show perfect agreement at the Euler scale when the interactions are short range. A formal proof of the emergence of generalized hydrodynamics in the non-local Luttinger model is also given, and effects of long-range interactions are briefly discussed.

  3 citations