Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Axions in the early universe

  Francesco D'Eramo

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 005 (2023) · published 3 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The Peccei-Quinn solution to the strong CP problem provides a motivated framework rich in cosmological consequence. Thermal axion production is unavoidable if there is a thermal bath at early times. Scattering and decay processes of bath particles can dump relativistic axions in the primordial plasma, and they can leave observable signatures in cosmological observables probing both the early and the late universe if produced with a significant abundance. We present recent and significant improvements for the calculation of the axion production rate for different scenarios and apply these results to predict the abundance of produced axions. Finally, we provide updated cosmological bounds on the QCD axion mass.

  1 citation

• The complex Liouville string: The gravitational path integral

  Scott Collier, Lorenz Eberhardt, Beatrix Mühlmann

  SciPost Phys. 19, 115 (2025) · published 28 October 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We give a rigorous definition of sine dilaton gravity in terms of the worldsheet theory of the complex Liouville string [S. Collier et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 134, 251602 (2025)]. The latter has a known exact solution that we leverage to explore the gravitational path integral of sine dilaton gravity – a quantum deformation of dS JT gravity that admits both AdS$_2$ and dS$_2$ vacua. We uncover that the gravitational path integral receives contributions from new saddles describing transitions between vacua in a third-quantized picture. We also discuss the sphere and disk partition function in this context and contrast our findings with other recent work on this theory.

  1 citation

• Quantum robustness of the toric code in a parallel field on the honeycomb and triangular lattice

  Viktor Kott, Matthias Mühlhauser, Jan Alexander Koziol, Kai Phillip Schmidt

  SciPost Phys. 17, 053 (2024) · published 15 August 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate the quantum robustness of the topological order in the toric code on the honeycomb lattice in the presence of a uniform parallel field. For a field in $z$-direction, the low-energy physics is in the flux-free sector and can be mapped to the transverse-field Ising model on the honeycomb lattice. One finds a second-order quantum phase transition in the 3D Ising$^\star$ universality class for both signs of the field. The same is true for a postive field in $x$-direction where an analogue mapping in the charge-free sector yields a ferromagnetic transverse-field Ising model on the triangular lattice and the phase transition is still 3D Ising$^\star$. In contrast, for negative $x$-field, the charge-free sector is mapped to the highly frustrated antiferromagnetic transverse-field Ising model on the triangular lattice which is known to host a quantum phase transition in the 3D XY$^\star$ universality class. Further, the charge-free sector does not always contain the low-energy physics for negative $x$-fields and a first-order phase transition to the polarized phase in the charge-full sector takes place at larger negative field values. We quantify the location of this transition by comparing quantum Monte Carlo simulations and high-field series expansions. The full extension of the topological phase in the presence of $x$- and $z$-fields is determined by perturbative linked-cluster expansions using a full graph decomposition. Extrapolating the high-order series of the charge and the flux gap allows to estimate critical exponents of the gap closing. This analysis indicates that the topological order breaks down by critical lines of 3D Ising$^\star$ and 3D XY$^\star$ type with interesting potential multi-critical crossing points. All findings for the toric code on the honeycomb lattice can be transferred exactly to the toric code on the triangular lattice.

  1 citation

• Energy loss due to defect creation in solid state detectors

  Matti Heikinheimo, Sebastian Sassi, Kimmo Tuominen, Kai Nordlund, Nader Mirabolfathi

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 12, 010 (2023) · published 3 July 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The threshold displacement energy in solid state detector materials varies from several eV to $\lesssim$ 100 eV. If a stable or long lived defect is created as a result of a nuclear recoil event, some part of the recoil energy is stored in the deformed lattice and is therefore not observable in a phonon detector. Thus, an accurate model of this effect is necessary for precise calibration of the recoil energy measurement in low threshold phonon detectors. Furthermore, the sharpness of the defect creation threshold varies between materials. For a hard material such as diamond, the sharp threshold will cause a sudden onset of the energy loss effect, resulting in a prominent peak in the observed recoil spectrum just below the threshold displacement energy. We describe how this effect can be used to discriminate between nuclear and electron recoils using just the measured recoil spectrum.

  1 citation

• Single-Logarithmic Corrections to Small-$x$ Helicity Evolution

  Yossathorn Tawabutr

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 103 (2022) · published 13 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The small-$x$ quark helicity evolution equations at double-logarithmic order, with the kernel $\sim\alpha_s\ln^2(1/x)$, have been derived previously. In this work, we derive the single-logarithmic corrections to the equations, to order $\alpha_s\ln(1/x)$ of the evolution kernel. The new equations include the effects of the running coupling and the unpolarized small-$x$ evolution, both of which are parametrically significant at single-logarithmic order. The large-$N_c$ and large-$N_c\& N_f$ approximations to the equation are computed. (Here, $N_c$ and $N_f$ are the numbers of quark colors and flavors, respectively.) Their solutions will provide more precise estimates of the quark helicity distribution at small $x$, contributing to the resolution of the proton spin puzzle.

  1 citation

• Bayesian active search on parameter space: A 95 GeV spin-0 resonance in the ($B-L$)SSM

  Mauricio A. Diaz, Giorgio Cerro, Srinandan Dasmahapatra, Stefano Moretti

  SciPost Phys. Core 8, 068 (2025) · published 10 October 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In the attempt to explain possible data anomalies from collider experiments in terms of New Physics (NP) models, computationally expensive scans over their parameter spaces are typically required in order to match theoretical predictions to experimental observations. Under the assumption that anomalies seen at a mass of about 95 GeV by the Large Electron-Positron (LEP) and Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments correspond to a NP signal, which we attempt to interpret as a spin-0 resonance in the $(B-L)$ Supersymmetric Standard Model ($(B-L)$SSM), chosen as an illustrative example, we introduce a novel Machine Learning (ML) approach based on a multi-objective active search method, called b-CASTOR, able to achieve high sample efficiency and diversity, due to the use of probabilistic surrogate models and a volume based search policy, outperforming competing algorithms, such as those based on Markov-Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods.

  1 citation

• A model for $F_L$ structure function at low values of $Q^2$ and $x$ - revisited

  Barbara Badelek, Anna Stasto

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 082 (2022) · published 12 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A reanalysis of the model for the longitudinal structure function $F_L (x,Q^2)$ at low $x$ and low $Q^2$ was undertaken, in view of the advent of the EIC. The model includes the kinematic constraint $F_L\sim Q^4$ as $Q^2\rightarrow$ 0. It is based on the photon-gluon fusion mechanism suitably extrapolated to the region of low $Q^2$. Revised model was critically updated, extended to the EIC kinematic region, and e.g. contains new parameterisations of the parton distribution functions.

  1 citation

• Constraints on the spectrum of field theories with non-integer $O(N)$ symmetry from quantum evanescence

  Weiguang Cao, Xiaochuan Lu, Tom Melia

  SciPost Phys. Core 7, 055 (2024) · published 14 August 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We identify constraints in the energy spectra of quantum theories that have a global $O(N)$ symmetry, where $N$ is treated as a continuous parameter. We point out that a class of evanescent states fall out of the spectrum at integer values of $N$ in pairs, via an annihilation mechanism. This forces the energies of the states in such a pair to approach equality as $N$ approaches a certain integer, with both states disappearing at precisely integer $N$ and the point of would-be degeneracy. These constraints occur between different irreducible representations of the analytic continuation of $O(N)$ and hold non-perturbatively. We give examples in the spectra of the critical $O(N)$ model.

  1 citation

• Low-temperature electron mobility in doped semiconductors with high dielectric constant

  Khachatur G. Nazaryan, Mikhail Feigel'man

  SciPost Phys. 14, 046 (2023) · published 23 March 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We propose and study theoretically a new mechanism of electron-impurity scattering in doped seminconductors with large dielectric constant. It is based upon the idea of vector character of deformations caused in the crystalline lattice by any point defects siting asymmetrically in the unit cell. In result, local lattice compression due to the elastic deformations decay as $1/r^2$ with distance from impurity. Electron scattering (due to standard deformation potential) on such defects leads to low-temperature mobility $\mu(n)$ scaling with electron density $n$ of the form $\mu(n) \propto n^{-2/3}$ that is close to experimental observations on a number of relevant materials.

  1 citation

• Phenomenological XXZ model for the competition between superconductivity and charge order in cuprates

  Giulia Venditti, Ilaria Maccari, Jose Lorenzana, Sergio Caprara

  SciPost Phys. 15, 230 (2023) · published 7 December 2023 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We argue that there is a special doping point in the phase diagram of cuprates, such that the condensation of holes into a charge-ordered and a superconducting phase are degenerate in energy but with an energy barrier in between. We present Monte Carlo simulations of a phenomenological XXZ model for this problem without and with quenched disorder in two dimensions. While in the clean case charge order and superconductivity are separated by a first-order line which is nearly independent of temperature, in the presence of quenched disorder charge order is fragmented into domains separated by superconducting filaments reminiscent of the supersolid behaviour in $^4$He. Assuming weak interlayer couplings, the resulting phase diagram of the three-dimensional system is in good agreement with the experiments.

  1 citation