Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Precision $e^-$ beam polarimetry at an $e^+e^-$ B factory using tau-pair events

  Caleb Miller

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 17, 011 (2025) · published 23 July 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  A novel technique for measuring the average beam polarization in $e^+e^-$ collisions, known as Tau Polarimetry, has been developed by the BABAR collaboration. This technique makes use of the relationship between the polarization of the beams, the resulting polarization of the $\tau^+\tau^-$ produced, and the kinematics of the decay products. Using this technique BABAR has measured the average $e^-$ beam polarization of PEP-II to be 0.0034 $± 0.0024_{stat} ± 0.0029_{sys}$. This technique is expected to be used at Belle II after a proposed polarization upgrade as the most precise method with which beam polarization can be determined.

• Dynamical correlation functions in the Ising field theory

  István Csépányi, Márton Kormos

  SciPost Phys. 17, 162 (2024) · published 10 December 2024 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We study finite temperature dynamical correlation functions of the magnetization operator in the one-dimensional Ising quantum field theory. Our approach is based on a finite temperature form factor series and on a Fredholm determinant representation of the correlators. While for space-like separations the Fredholm determinant can be efficiently evaluated numerically, for the time-like region it has convergence issues inherited from the form factor series. We develop a method to compute the correlation functions at time-like separations based on the analytic continuation of the space-time coordinates to complex values. Using this numerical technique, we explore all space-time and temperature regimes in both the ordered and disordered phases including short, large, and near-light-cone separations at low and high temperatures. We confirm the existing analytic predictions for the asymptotic behavior of the correlations except in the case of space-like correlations in the paramagnetic phase. For this case we derive a new closed form expression for the correlation length that has some unusual properties: it is a non-analytic function of both the space-time direction and the temperature, and its temperature dependence is non-monotonic.

• Bayesian illumination: Inference and quality-diversity accelerate generative molecular models

  Jonas Verhellen

  SciPost Chem. 4, 001 (2025) · published 28 May 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In recent years, there have been considerable academic and industrial research efforts to develop novel generative models for high-performing, small molecules. Traditional, rules-based algorithms such as genetic algorithms have, however, been shown to rival deep learning approaches in terms of both efficiency and potency [Jensen, Chem. Sci., 2019, 12, 3567-3572]. In previous work, we showed that the addition of a quality-diversity archive to a genetic algorithm resolves stagnation issues and substantially increases search efficiency [Verhellen, Chem. Sci., 2020, 42, 11485-11491]. In this work, we expand on these insights and leverage the availability of bespoke kernels for small molecules [Griffiths, Adv. Neural. Inf. Process. Syst., 2024, 36] to integrate Bayesian optimisation into the quality-diversity process. This novel generative model, which we call Bayesian Illumination, produces a larger diversity of high-performing molecules than standard quality-diversity optimisation methods. In addition, we show that Bayesian Illumination further improves search efficiency compared to previous generative models for small molecules, including deep learning approaches, genetic algorithms, and standard quality-diversity methods.

• Production mechanisms of open heavy flavor mesons in high-multiplicity events

  Marat Siddikov, Ivan Schmidt

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 096 (2022) · published 13 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In this proceeding we discuss different mechanisms of open-heavy flavor meson production which contribute to inclusive and single diffractive cross-sections. For the case of inclusive production we demonstrate that the three-Pomeron fusion is significant for the $D$-meson production in the kinematics of small transverse momenta $p_{T}$, as well as in large-multiplicity events. Its inclusion allows to improve significantly the description of experimental data. We also analyzed the diffractive production and found that due to gap survival factors it constitutes 0.5\textendash 2 per cent of the inclusive production. The expected dependence on event multiplicity in this channel is significantly milder than for inclusive case.

• Cosmology of the companion-axion model: Dark matter, gravitational waves, and primordial black holes

  Zhe Chen, Archil Kobakhidze, Ciaran O'Hare, Zachary S. C. Picker, Giovanni Pierobon

  SciPost Phys. 18, 175 (2025) · published 4 June 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The companion-axion model introduces a second QCD axion to rescue the Peccei-Quinn solution to the strong-CP problem from the effects of colored gravitational instantons. As in single-axion models, the two axions predicted by the companion-axion model are attractive candidates for dark matter. The model is defined by two free parameters, the scales of the two axions' symmetry breaking, so we can classify production scenarios in terms of the relative sizes of these two scales with respect to the scale of inflation. We study the cosmological production of companion-axion dark matter in order to predict windows of preferred axion masses, and calculate the relative abundances of the two particles. Additionally, we show that the presence of a second axion solves the cosmological domain wall problem automatically in the scenarios in which one or both of the axions are post-inflationary. We also suggest unique cosmological signatures of the companion-axion model, such as the production of a $\sim$10 nHz gravitational wave background, and $\sim 100\,M_\odot$ primordial black holes.

• Probing proton PDFs at high x with LHCb

  Thomas Boettcher

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 093 (2022) · published 13 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  LHCb is a forward spectrometer at the LHC covering the pseudorapidity region 2<$\eta$<5. Because of this forward coverage, LHCb can probe the proton parton distribution functions (PDFs) in previously unexplored kinematic regimes, in particular at very high and low Bjorken-x. This contribution presents LHCb measurements that can be used to constrain the proton PDFs, with a focus on the high-x and high-$Q^2$ regime.

• On the role of non-linear latent features in bipartite generative neural networks

  Tony Bonnaire, Giovanni Catania, Aurélien Decelle, Beatriz Seoane

  SciPost Phys. 19, 141 (2025) · published 1 December 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We investigate the phase diagram and memory retrieval capabilities of Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs), an archetypal model of bipartite energy-based neural networks, as a function of the prior distribution imposed on their hidden units—including binary, multi-state, and ReLU-like activations. Drawing connections to the Hopfield model and employing analytical tools from statistical physics of disordered systems, we explore how the architectural choices and activation functions shape the thermodynamic properties of these models. Our analysis reveals that standard RBMs with binary hidden nodes and extensive connectivity suffer from reduced critical capacity, limiting their effectiveness as associative memories. To address this, we examine several modifications, such as introducing local biases and adopting richer hidden unit priors. These adjustments restore ordered retrieval phases and markedly improve recall performance, even at finite temperatures. Our theoretical findings, supported by finite-size Monte Carlo simulations, highlight the importance of hidden unit design in enhancing the expressive power of RBMs.

• Extending the planar theory of anyons to quantum wire networks

  Tomasz Maciazek, Mia Conlon, Gert Vercleyen, J. K. Slingerland

  SciPost Phys. 18, 074 (2025) · published 28 February 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The braiding of the worldlines of particles restricted to move on a network (graph) is governed by the graph braid group, which can be strikingly different from the standard braid group known from two-dimensional physics. It has been recently shown that imposing the compatibility of graph braiding with anyon fusion for anyons exchanging at a single wire junction leads to new types of anyon models with the braiding exchange operators stemming from solutions of certain generalised hexagon equations. In this work, we establish these graph-braided anyon fusion models for general wire networks. We show that the character of braiding strongly depends on the graph-theoretic connectivity of the given network. In particular, we prove that triconnected networks yield the same braiding exchange operators as the planar anyon models. In contrast, modular biconnected networks support independent braiding exchange operators in different modules. Consequently, such modular networks may lead to more efficient topological quantum computer circuits. Finally, we conjecture that the graph-braided anyon fusion models will possess the (generalised) coherence property where certain polygon equations determine the braiding exchange operators for an arbitrary number of anyons. We also extensively study solutions to these polygon equations for chosen low-rank multiplicity-free fusion rings, including the Ising theory, quantum double of $\mathbb{Z}_{2}$, and Tambara-Yamagami models. We find numerous solutions that do not appear in the planar theory of anyons.

• Coupled dynamics of resource competition and constrained entrances in a multi-lane bidirectional exclusion process

  Ashish Kumar Pandey, Arvind Kumar Gupta

  SciPost Phys. Core 8, 089 (2025) · published 3 December 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Motivated by the role of limited particle resources in multi-species bidirectional transport processes observed in various biological and physical systems, we investigate a one-dimensional closed system consisting of two parallel lanes with narrow entrances, where each lane accommodates two oppositely directed particle species. Each particle species is linked to a separate finite reservoir, which is coupled to both lanes and regulates the entry rates of particle into the lanes. To analyze the effect of finite particle reservoirs on the stationary properties of the system, we employ a mean-field theoretical framework to characterize the density profiles, particle currents, and phase behavior, complemented by a boundary layer analysis based on fixed point methods to capture spatial variations near the boundaries. The impact of individual species population, quantified by species-specific filling factors, is systematically examined under both equal and unequal conditions. For equal filling factors, system undergoes spontaneous symmetry breaking and supports both symmetric and asymmetric phases. In contrast, for unequal filling factors, only asymmetric phases are realized, with the phase diagram exhibiting up to five distinct phases. A striking feature observed in both scenarios is the emergence of a back-and-forth transition, along with a non-monotonic dependence of the number of phases on the filling factors. All theoretical findings are extensively validated through stochastic simulations based on the Gillespie algorithm, confirming the robustness of the analytical results.

• Recent results from heavy ion collisions at LHCb

  Óscar Boente García

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 007 (2022) · published 11 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  LHCb is a fully instrumented spectrometer covering the forward rapidity region at the LHC, which provides unique access to the small Bjorken-x region inside the nucleus. In this contribution, a selection of recent results from the LHCb heavy-ion program are presented, including a measurement of charged hadron production in proton-proton (pp) and proton-lead (pPb) collisions, chic2/chic1 production in pPb collisions, and coherent J/psi production in peripheral and ultra-peripheral PbPb collisions. Comparisons with calculations and effects from the nuclear PDFs and dense QCD medium are discussed.