Abstract: We present a lattice determination of the leading-order hadronic vacuum polarization (HVP) contribution to the muon anomalous magnetic moment, ${a}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\mathrm{HVP}}$, in the so-called short and intermediate time-distance windows, ${a}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\mathrm{SD}}$ and ${a}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\mathrm{W}}$, defined by the RBC/UKQCD Collaboration [Phys. Rev. Lett. 121, 022003 (2018)]. We employ gauge ensembles produced by the Extended Twisted Mass Collaboration (ETMC) with ${N}_{f}=2+1+1$ flavors of Wilson-clover twisted-mass quarks with masses of all the dynamical quark flavors tuned close to their physical values. The simulations are carried out at three values of the lattice spacing equal to $\ensuremath{\simeq}0.057$, 0.068 and 0.080 fm with spatial lattice sizes up to $L\ensuremath{\simeq}7.6\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{fm}$. For the short-distance window we obtain ${a}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\mathrm{SD}}(\mathrm{ETMC})=69.27(34)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$, which is consistent with the recent dispersive value of ${a}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\mathrm{SD}}({e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}})=68.4(5)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$ [, Phys. Lett. B 833, 137313 (2022)]. In the case of the intermediate window we get the value ${a}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\mathrm{W}}(\mathrm{ETMC})=236.3(1.3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$, which is consistent with the result ${a}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\mathrm{W}}(\mathrm{BMW})=236.7(1.4)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$ [, Nature (London) 593, 51 (2021)] by the BMW Collaboration as well as with the recent determination by the CLS/Mainz group of ${a}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\mathrm{W}}(\mathrm{CLS})=237.30(1.46)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$ [, Phys. Rev. D 106, 114502 (2022)]. However, it is larger than the dispersive result of ${a}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\mathrm{W}}({e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}})=229.4(1.4)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}10}$ by approximately 3.6 standard deviations. The tension increases to approximately 4.5 standard deviations if we average our ETMC result with those by BMW and CLS/Mainz. Our accurate lattice results in the short and intermediate windows point to a possible deviation of the ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ cross section data with respect to Standard Model predictions in the low- and intermediate-energy regions but not in the high-energy region.

Abstract: The authors develop a formalism for computing the abundance of primordial black holes (PBH) in the presence of local non-Gaussianities in the curvature perturbation field. They show that polynomial expansions will not suffice in certain limits and provide numerical methods to address this issue. They demonstrate how their technique affects both the total PBH abundances and gravitational wave expectations.

Abstract: Gravity in $4d$ asymptotically flat spacetime constitutes the archetypal example of a gravitational system with leaky boundary conditions. Pursuing our analysis of [1], we argue that the holographic description of such a system requires the coupling of the dual theory living at null infinity to some external sources encoding the radiation reaching the conformal boundary and responsible for the non-conservation of the charges. In particular, we show that the sourced Ward identities of a conformal Carrollian field theory living at null infinity reproduce the BMS flux-balance laws. We also derive the general form of low-point correlation functions for conformal Carrollian field theories and exhibit a new branch of solutions, which is argued to be the relevant one for holographic purposes. We then relate our Carrollian approach to the celestial holography proposal by mapping the Carrollian Ward identities to those constraining celestial operators through a suitable integral transform.

Abstract: The novel data analysis challenges posed by the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) arise from the overwhelmingly large number of astrophysical sources in the measurement band and the density with which they are found in the data. Robust detection and characterization of the numerous gravitational wave sources in LISA data can not be done sequentially, but rather through a simultaneous global fit of a data model containing the full suite of astrophysical and instrumental features present in the data. While previous analyses have focused on individual source types in isolation, here we present the first demonstration of a LISA global fit analysis containing combined astrophysical populations. The prototype pipeline uses a blocked Metropolis Hastings algorithm to alternatingly fit to a population of ultracompact galactic binaries, known “verification binaries” already identified by electromagnetic observations, a population of massive black hole mergers, and an instrument noise model. The global LISA analysis software suite (GLASS) is assembled from independently developed samplers for the different model components. The modular design enables flexibility to future development by defining standard interfaces for adding new, or updating additional, components to the global fit without being overly prescriptive for how those modules must be internally designed. The GLASS pipeline is demonstrated on data simulated for the LISA Data Challenge 2b. Results of the analysis and a road-map for continued development are described in detail.14 MoreReceived 11 January 2023Accepted 27 January 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.107.063004© 2023 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasGravitational wavesGravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Abstract: We measure weak lensing cosmic shear power spectra from the 3-year galaxy shear catalog of the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) Subaru Strategic Program imaging survey. The shear catalog covers 416 deg2 of the northern sky, with a mean i-band seeing of 0.59 arcsec and an effective galaxy number density of 15 arcmin−2 within our adopted redshift range. With an i-band magnitude limit of 24.5 mag, and four tomographic redshift bins spanning 0.3≤zph≤1.5 based on photometric redshifts, we obtain a high-significance measurement of the cosmic shear power spectra, with a signal-to-noise ratio of approximately 26.4 in the multipole range 300<ℓ<1800. The accuracy of our power spectrum measurement is tested against realistic mock shear catalogs, and we use these catalogs to get a reliable measurement of the covariance of the power spectrum measurements. We use a robust blinding procedure to avoid confirmation bias, and model various uncertainties and sources of bias in our analysis, including point spread function systematics, redshift distribution uncertainties, the intrinsic alignment of galaxies and the modeling of the matter power spectrum. For a flat ΛCDM model, we find S8≡σ8(Ωm/0.3)0.5=0.776−0.033+0.032, which is in excellent agreement with the constraints from the other HSC Year 3 cosmology analyses, as well as those from a number of other cosmic shear experiments. This result implies a ∼2σ-level tension with the Planck 2018 cosmology. We study the effect that various systematic errors and modeling choices could have on this value, and find that they can shift the best-fit value of S8 by no more than ∼0.5σ, indicating that our result is robust to such systematics.11 MoreReceived 5 April 2023Accepted 16 August 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.108.123519© 2023 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasCosmological parametersCosmologyDark matterLarge scale structure of the UniverseGravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Abstract: The LHCb Collaboration has recently released a new study of ${B}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{K}^{+}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and $B\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{K}^{*0}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ($\ensuremath{\ell}=e$, $\ensuremath{\mu}$) decays, testing lepton universality with unprecedented accuracy using the whole Run 1 and 2 dataset. In addition, the CMS Collaboration has reported an improved analysis of the branching ratios ${B}_{(d,s)}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. While these measurements offer, per se, a powerful probe of new physics, global analyses of $b\ensuremath{\rightarrow}s{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\ell}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ transitions also rely on the assumptions about nonperturbative contributions to the decay matrix elements. In this work, we perform a global Bayesian analysis of new physics in (semi)leptonic rare $B$ decays, paying attention to the role of charming penguins which are difficult to evaluate from first principles. We find data to be consistent with the Standard Model once rescattering from intermediate hadronic states is included. Consequently, we derive stringent bounds on lepton universality violation in $|\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}B|=|\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}S|=1$ (semi)leptonic processes.

Abstract: Motivated by the fact that cosmological models based on $f(Q)$ gravity are very efficient in fitting observational datasets at both background and perturbation levels, we perform a combined dynamical system analysis of both background and perturbation equations in order to examine the validity of this result through an independent method. We examine two studied $f(Q)$ models of the literature, namely, the power-law and the exponential ones. For both cases, we obtain a matter-dominated saddle point characterized by the correct growth rate of matter perturbations, followed by the transition to a stable dark-energy-dominated accelerated universe in which matter perturbations remain constant. Furthermore, analyzing the behavior of $f{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{8}$, we find that the models fit observational data successfully, obtaining a behavior similar to that of the Lambda cold dark matter ($\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$) scenario, although the exponential model does not possess the latter as a particular limit. Hence, through the independent approach of dynamical systems, we do verify the results of observational confrontation, namely, that $f(Q)$ gravity can be considered as a very promising alternative to the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$ concordance model.

Abstract: In this work, we present a convenient method to perform the topological analysis of black hole thermodynamics. Utilizing the spinodal curve, thermodynamic critical points of a black hole are endowed with a topological quantity, Brouwer degree, which reflects intrinsic properties of the system under smooth deformations. Specially, in our setup, it can be easily calculated without exact solution of critical points. This enables us to conveniently investigate the topological transition between different thermodynamic systems, and give a topological classification for them. In this framework, topology of Lovelock AdS black holes with spherical horizon geometry is explored. Results show that charged black holes in arbitrary dimensions can be classified into the same topology class, whereas the $d=7$ and $d \geq 8$ uncharged black holes are in different topology classes. Moreover, we revisit the relation between different phase structures of these black holes from the viewpoint of topology. Some general topological properties of critical points are also discussed.

Abstract: In this work we present several characteristic examples of theories of gravity and particle physics scenarios that may yield an observable energy spectrum of stochastic primordial gravitational waves, compatible with the 2023 NANOGrav observations. The resulting theories yield a flat or a peaklike energy spectrum, and we further seek the conditions which if hold true, the energy spectrum can be compatible with the recent NANOGrav stochastic gravitational wave detection. As we show, in most cases a blue tilted spectrum combined with a relatively low reheating temperature is needed, the scale of which is determined by whether the radiation domination era is ordinary or it is an abnormal radiation domination era. One intriguing Higgs-axion model, which predicts short slow-roll eras for the axion field at the post-electroweak breaking epoch, which eventually change the total equation of state parameter at the reheating era, can explain the NANOGrav signal, if a blue tilted tensor spectral index inflationary era precedes the reheating era, and a reheating temperature of the order $\mathcal{O}(400)\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$. This specific model produces an energy spectrum of primordial gravitational waves with a characteristic peak that is detectable from both the NANOGrav and future LISA experiment, but not from the future Einstein telescope.

Abstract: We analyze cosmic superstring models in light of NANOGrav 15-year pulsar timing data. A good fit is found for a string tension $G\ensuremath{\mu}\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}--{10}^{\ensuremath{-}11}$ and a string intercommutation probability $p\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}--{10}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. Extrapolation to higher frequencies assuming standard big bang cosmology is compatible at the 68% CL with the current LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA upper limit on a stochastic gravitational wave background in the 10 to 100 Hz range. The superstring interpretation of the NANOGrav data would be robustly testable by future experiments even in modified cosmological scenarios.

Abstract: We constrain six possible extensions to the Λ cold dark matter (CDM) model using measurements from the Dark Energy Survey’s first three years of observations, alone and in combination with external cosmological probes. The DES data are the two-point correlation functions of weak gravitational lensing, galaxy clustering, and their cross-correlation. We use simulated data vectors and blind analyses of real data to validate the robustness of our results to astrophysical and modeling systematic errors. In many cases, constraining power is limited by the absence of theoretical predictions beyond the linear regime that are reliable at our required precision. The ΛCDM extensions are dark energy with a time-dependent equation of state, nonzero spatial curvature, additional relativistic degrees of freedom, sterile neutrinos with eV-scale mass, modifications of gravitational physics, and a binned σ8(z) model which serves as a phenomenological probe of structure growth. For the time-varying dark energy equation of state evaluated at the pivot redshift we find (wp,wa)=(−0.99−0.17+0.28,−0.9±1.2) at 68% confidence with zp=0.24 from the DES measurements alone, and (wp,wa)=(−1.03−0.03+0.04,−0.4−0.3+0.4) with zp=0.21 for the combination of all data considered. Curvature constraints of Ωk=0.0009±0.0017 and effective relativistic species Neff=3.10−0.16+0.15 are dominated by external data, though adding DES information to external low-redshift probes tightens the Ωk constraints that can be made without cosmic microwave background observables by 20%. For massive sterile neutrinos, DES combined with external data improves the upper bound on the mass meff by a factor of 3 compared to previous analyses, giving 95% limits of (ΔNeff,meff)≤(0.28,0.20 eV) when using priors matching a comparable Planck analysis. For modified gravity, we constrain changes to the lensing and Poisson equations controlled by functions Σ(k,z)=Σ0ΩΛ(z)/ΩΛ,0 and μ(k,z)=μ0ΩΛ(z)/ΩΛ,0, respectively, to Σ0=0.6−0.5+0.4 from DES alone and (Σ0,μ0)=(0.04±0.05,0.08−0.19+0.21) for the combination of all data, both at 68% confidence. Overall, we find no significant evidence for physics beyond ΛCDM.18 MoreReceived 18 July 2022Accepted 28 November 2022DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.107.083504© 2023 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasCosmological constantCosmological parametersCosmologyDark energyDark matterPhysical SystemsGalaxiesLarge scale structure of the UniverseTechniquesTelescopesGravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Abstract: In this paper, we extend our previous work [D. Wu, Phys. Rev. D 107, 024024 (2023)] to the more general cases with a negative cosmological constant, and investigate the topological numbers for the singly rotating Kerr-AdS black holes in all dimensions and the four-dimensional Kerr-Newman-AdS black hole as well as the three-dimensional Ba\~nados-Teitelboim-Zanelli black hole. We find that the topological numbers of black holes are remarkably influenced by the cosmological constant. In addition, we also demonstrate that the dimension of spacetimes has an important effect on the topological number for rotating anti--de Sitter (AdS) black holes. Furthermore, it is interesting to observe that the difference between the topological number of the AdS black hole and that of its corresponding asymptotically flat black hole is always unity. This new observation leads us to conjure that it might be valid also for other black holes. Of course, this novel conjecture needs to be further verified by examining the topological numbers of many other black holes and their AdS counterparts in the future work.

Abstract: We explore observational constraints on a cosmological model with an interaction between dark energy (DE) and dark matter (DM), using a compilation of 15 measurements of the 2D baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) (i.e., transversal) scale in combination with Planck-CMB data, to explore the parametric space of a class of interacting DE (IDE) models. We find that 2D BAO measurements can generate different observational constraints compared to the traditional approach of studying the matter clustering in the 3D BAO measurements. Contrary to the observations for the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$ and IDE models when analyzed with $\mathrm{Planck}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{CMB}+3\mathrm{D}$ BAO data, we note that $\mathrm{Planck}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{CMB}+2\mathrm{D}$ BAO data favor high values of the Hubble constant ${H}_{0}$. From the joint analysis with $\mathrm{Planck}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{CMB}+2\mathrm{D}$ $\mathrm{BAO}+\text{Gaussian}$ prior on ${H}_{0}$, we find ${H}_{0}=73.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.88\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{km}/\mathrm{s}/\mathrm{Mpc}$. We conclude that the ${H}_{0}$ tension is solved in the IDE model with strong statistical evidence (more than $3\ensuremath{\sigma}$) for the IDE cosmologies.

Abstract: We introduce caloflow, a fast detector simulation framework based on normalizing flows. For the first time, we demonstrate that normalizing flows can reproduce many-channel calorimeter showers with extremely high fidelity, providing a fresh alternative to computationally expensive geant4 simulations, as well as other state-of-the-art fast simulation frameworks based on generative adversarial networks (GANs) or variational autoencoders (VAEs). In addition to the usual histograms of physical features and images of calorimeter showers, we introduce a new metric for judging the quality of generative modeling: the performance of a classifier trained to differentiate real from generated images. We show that GAN-generated images can be identified by the classifier with nearly 100% accuracy, while images generated from caloflow are better able to fool the classifier. More broadly, normalizing flows offer several advantages compared to other state-of-the-art approaches (GANs and VAEs), including tractable likelihoods, stable and convergent training, and principled model selection. Normalizing flows also provide a bijective mapping between data and the latent space, which could have other applications beyond simulation, for example, to detector unfolding.

Abstract: Black hole spectroscopy is the program to measure the complex gravitational wave frequencies of merger remnants, and to quantify their agreement with the characteristic frequencies of black holes computed at linear order in black hole perturbation theory. In a ``weaker'' (nonagnostic) version of this test, one assumes that the frequencies depend on the mass and spin of the final Kerr black hole as predicted in perturbation theory. Linear perturbation theory is expected to be a good approximation only at late times, when the remnant is close enough to a stationary Kerr black hole. However, it has been claimed that a superposition of overtones with frequencies fixed at their asymptotic values in linear perturbation theory can reproduce the waveform strain even at the peak. Is this overfitting, or are the overtones physically present in the signal? To answer this question, we fit toy models of increasing complexity, waveforms produced within linear perturbation theory, and full numerical relativity waveforms using both agnostic and nonagnostic ringdown models. We find that higher overtones are unphysical; their role is mainly to ``fit away'' features such as initial data effects, power-law tails, and (when present) nonlinearities. We then identify physical quasinormal modes by fitting numerical waveforms in the original, agnostic spirit of the no-hair test. We find that a physically meaningful ringdown model requires the inclusion of higher multipoles, quasinormal mode frequencies induced by spherical-spheroidal mode mixing, and nonlinear quasinormal modes. Even in this ``infinite signal-to-noise ratio'' version of the original spectroscopy test, there is convincing evidence for the first overtone of the dominant multipole only well after the peak of the radiation.

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the topological numbers for singly rotating Kerr black holes in arbitrary dimensions and four-dimensional Kerr-Newman black hole. We show that for uncharged black holes, the rotation parameter has a significant effect on the topological number, and for rotating black holes, the dimension of spacetime has a remarkable effect on the topological number too. In addition, we find that the topological numbers of the four-dimensional Kerr and Kerr-Newman black holes are the same, which seems to indicate that the electric charge parameter has no effect on the topological number of rotating black holes. Our current research provides more evidence that the conjecture put forward in Wei et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 191101 (2022)], according to which all black hole solutions should be separated into three different topological classes, is accurate, at least in the pure Einstein-Maxwell gravity theory.

Abstract: In a series of two papers, the authors explore the holographic duality between an eternal AdS black hole in the bulk and two copies of the boundary CFT in the thermal field double state. They provide an explicit construction in the boundary theory of an evolution operator for a bulk in-falling observer, thus making manifest the boundary emergence of the black hole horizons, the interiors, and the associated causal structure. They also elucidate that the emergence of the sharp bulk event horizon is related to the infinite N limit of the boundary theory.

Abstract: Analyses of the full shape of BOSS DR12 power spectrum using the one-loop prediction from the Effective Field Theory of Large-Scale Structure (EFTBOSS) have led to new constraints on extensions to the $\Lambda$CDM model, such as Early Dark Energy (EDE) which has been suggested as a resolution to the "Hubble tension". In this paper, we re-assess the constraining power of the EFTBOSS on EDE in light of a correction to the normalization of BOSS window functions. Overall we find that constraints from EFTBOSS on EDE are weakened, and represent a small change compared to constraints from Planck and the conventional BAO/$f\sigma_8$ measurements. The combination of Planck data with EFTBOSS provides a bound on the maximal fractional contribution of EDE $f_{\rm EDE}<0.083$ at 95% C.L. (compared to $<0.054$ with the incorrect normalization, and $<0.088$ without full-shape data) and the Hubble tension is reduced to $2.1\sigma$. However, the more extreme model favored by an analysis with just data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope is disfavored by the EFTBOSS data. We also show that the updated Pantheon+ Type Ia supernova analysis can slightly increase the constraints on EDE. Yet, the inclusion of the SN1a magnitude calibration by SH0ES strongly increases the preference for EDE to above $5\sigma$, yielding $f_{\rm EDE}\sim 0.12^{+0.03}_{-0.02}$ around the redshift $z_c=4365^{+3000}_{-1100}$. Our results demonstrate that EFTBOSS data (alone or combined with Planck data) do not exclude the EDE resolution of the Hubble tension.

Abstract: We perform a blinded cosmology analysis with cosmic shear two-point correlation functions measured from more than 25 million galaxies in the Hyper Suprime-Cam three-year shear catalog in four tomographic redshift bins ranging from 0.3 to 1.5. After conservative masking and galaxy selection, the survey covers 416 deg2 of the northern sky with an effective galaxy number density of 15 arcmin−2 over the four redshift bins. The 2PCFs adopted for cosmology analysis are measured in the angular range; 7.1<θ/arcmin<56.6 for ξ+ and 31.2<θ/arcmin<248 for ξ−, with a total signal-to-noise ratio of 26.6. We apply a conservative, wide, flat prior on the photometric redshift errors on the last two tomographic bins, and the relative magnitudes of the cosmic shear amplitude across four redshift bins allow us to calibrate the photometric redshift errors. With this flat prior on redshift errors, we find Ωm=0.256−0.044+0.056 and S8≡σ8Ωm/0.3=0.769−0.034+0.031 (both 68% C.I.) for a flat Λ cold dark matter cosmology. We find, after unblinding, that our constraint on S8 is consistent with the Fourier space cosmic shear and the 3×2 pt analyses on the same HSC dataset. We carefully study the potential systematics from astrophysical and systematic model uncertainties in our fiducial analysis using synthetic data, and report no biases (including projection bias in the posterior space) greater than 0.5σ in the estimation of S8. Our analysis hints that the mean redshifts of the two highest tomographic bins are higher than initially estimated. In addition, a number of consistency tests are conducted to assess the robustness of our analysis. Comparing our result with Planck-2018 cosmic microwave background observations, we find a ∼2σ tension for the ΛCDM model.25 MoreReceived 5 April 2023Accepted 22 September 2023DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.108.123518© 2023 American Physical SocietyPhysics Subject Headings (PhySH)Research AreasCosmological parametersCosmologyDark matterLarge scale structure of the UniverseGravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Abstract: Topological duality defects arise as codimension one generalized symmetry operators in quantum field theories (QFTs) with a duality symmetry. Recent investigations have shown that in the case of 4D $\mathcal{N}=4$ Super Yang-Mills (SYM) theory, an appropriate choice of (complexified) gauge coupling and global form of the gauge group can lead to a rather rich fusion algebra for the associated defects, leading to examples of noninvertible symmetries. In this work we present a top down construction of these duality defects which generalizes to QFTs with lower supersymmetry, where other 0-form symmetries are often present. We realize the QFTs of interest via D3-branes probing $X$ a Calabi-Yau threefold cone with an isolated singularity at the tip of the cone. The IIB duality group descends to dualities of the 4D worldvolume theory. Nontrivial codimension one topological interfaces arise from configurations of 7-branes ``at infinity'' which implement a suitable $SL(2,\mathbb{Z})$ transformation when they are crossed. Reduction on the boundary topology $\ensuremath{\partial}X$ results in a 5D symmetry topological field theory. Different realizations of duality defects, such as the gauging of 1-form symmetries with certain mixed anomalies and half-space gauging constructions, simply amount to distinct choices of where to place the branch cuts in the 5D bulk.

Abstract: We present a further observational analysis of the ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{\mathrm{s}}\mathrm{CDM}$ model proposed in Akarsu et al. [Phys. Rev. D 104, 123512 (2021)]. This model is based on the recent conjecture suggesting the Universe has transitioned from anti--de Sitter vacua to de Sitter vacua (viz., the cosmological constant switches sign from negative to positive), at redshift ${z}_{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}}\ensuremath{\sim}2$, inspired by the graduated dark energy model proposed in Akarsu et al. [Phys. Rev. D 101, 063528 (2020)]. ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{\mathrm{s}}\mathrm{CDM}$ was previously claimed to simultaneously relax five cosmological discrepancies, namely, the ${H}_{0}$, ${S}_{8}$, and ${M}_{B}$ tensions along with the $\mathrm{Ly}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\alpha}$ and ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{b}}$ anomalies, which prevail within the standard $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$ model as well as its canonical/simple extensions. In the present work, we extend the previous analysis by constraining the model using the Pantheon data (with and without the SH0ES ${M}_{B}$ prior) and/or the completed BAO data along with the full Planck CMB data. We find that ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{\mathrm{s}}\mathrm{CDM}$ exhibits a better fit to the data compared to $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$, and simultaneously relaxes the six discrepancies of $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$, viz., the ${H}_{0}$, ${M}_{B}$, ${S}_{8}$, $\mathrm{Ly}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\alpha}$, ${t}_{0}$, and ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{b}}$ discrepancies, all of which are discussed in detail. When the ${M}_{B}$ prior is included in the analyses, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{\mathrm{s}}\mathrm{CDM}$ performs significantly better in relaxing the ${H}_{0}$, ${M}_{B}$, and ${S}_{8}$ tensions with the constraint ${z}_{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}}\ensuremath{\sim}1.8$ even when the $\mathrm{Ly}\text{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\alpha}$ data (which imposed the ${z}_{\ifmmode\dagger\else\textdagger\fi{}}\ensuremath{\sim}2$ constraint in the previous studies) are excluded. In contrast, the presence of the ${M}_{B}$ prior causes only negligible improvements for $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$. Thus, the ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}_{\mathrm{s}}\mathrm{CDM}$ model provides remedy to various cosmological tensions simultaneously, only that the galaxy BAO data hinder its success to some extent.

Abstract: A search for dark matter axions with masses $>10 \mu eV/c^{2}$ has been performed using the HAYSTAC experiment's squeezed state receiver to achieve sub-quantum limited noise. This report includes details of the design and operation of the experiment previously used to search for axions in the mass ranges $16.96-17.12$ and $17.14-17.28 \mu eV/c^{2}$($4.100-4.140$GHz) and $4.145-4.178$GHz) as well as upgrades to facilitate an extended search at higher masses. These upgrades include improvements to the data acquisition routine which have reduced the effective dead time by a factor of 5, allowing for the new region to be scanned $\sim$1.6 times faster with comparable sensitivity. No statistically significant evidence of an axion signal is found in the range $18.44-18.71\mu eV/c^{2}$($4.459-4.523$GHz), leading to an aggregate upper limit exclusion at the $90\%$ level on the axion-photon coupling of $2.06\times g_{\gamma}^{KSVZ}$.

Abstract: In this work we consider the observational properties of compact boson stars with self-interactions orbited by isotropically emitting (hot-spot) sources and optically thin accretion disks. We consider two families of boson stars supported by quartic and sixth-order self-interaction potentials, and choose three samples of each of them in growing compactness; only those with large enough compactness are capable to hold light rings, namely, null bound orbits. For the hot spots, using inclination angles $\ensuremath{\theta}={20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{},50\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{},80\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}$ we find a secondary track plunge-through image of photons crossing the interior of the boson star, which can be further decomposed into additional images if the star is compact enough. For accretion disks we find that the latter class of stars actually shows a sequence of additional secondary images in agreement with the hot-spot analysis, a feature absent in typical black hole space-times. Furthermore, we also find a shadowlike central brightness depression for some of these stars in both axial observations and at the inclination angles above. We discuss our findings in relation to the capability of boson stars to effectively act as black hole mimickers in their optical appearances as well as potential observational discriminators.

Abstract: In this work, we develop a universal picture from topology in the thermodynamic parameters space to describe first order phase transitions of black holes. By employing an off-shell internal energy, we find two types of topological defects. The first is normal, describing black holes which move with a nonzero velocity and acceleration, in a central force field. The second type of defects are exotic: they are static in the space, not describing black holes but encoding information about first order transitions. For each defect, we assign a winding number and an inertial mass. By studying neutral and charged black holes in asymptotically anti--de Sitter space, we show that first order transitions can be viewed as a once or twice interchange of winding numbers between black holes and the exotic defects, through wired action at a distance. This corresponds to the usual notion: a smaller black hole grows into a larger black hole or vice versa. However, our topological analysis illustrates that the transition can also be locally interpreted as virtual collisions between black holes and the exotic defects. In this interpretation, a smaller black hole first grows into a new exotic defect whereas an original exotic defect grows into a larger black hole. All the defects simply change their positions and momentums, rather than interchanging the winding numbers. The critical point of the transition can be extracted when all the defects meet in the parameters space. Certain quantities, such as the Jacobians and the velocities of normal defects show universal behaviors near the critical point.

Abstract: In this work, we construct promising model-building routes towards SO(10) grand unified theory inflation and examine their ability to explain the recent pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) results hinting at a stochastic gravitational wave (GW) background at nanohertz frequencies. We consider a supersymmetric framework within which the so-called doublet-triplet splitting problem is solved without introducing fine-tuning. Additionally, realistic fermion masses and mixings, gauge coupling unification, and cosmic inflation are incorporated by utilizing superfields with representations no higher than the adjoint representation. Among the three possible scenarios, two of these cases require a single adjoint Higgs field, and do not lead to cosmic strings. In contrast, the third scenario featuring two adjoints, can lead to a network of metastable cosmic strings that generates a GW background contribution compatible with the recent PTA findings and testable by various ongoing and upcoming GW observatories.

Abstract: The James Webb Space Telescope has detected surprisingly luminous early galaxies that indicate a tension with the $\Lambda$CDM. Motivated by scenarios including axion miniclusters or primordial black holes, we consider power-law modifications of the matter power spectrum. We show that the tension could be resolved if dark matter consists of $2\times 10^{-18}{\rm eV}$ axions or if a fraction $f_{\rm PBH} > 0.005$ of dark matter is composed of compact heavy $4\times 10^6 M_\odot (f_{\rm PBH}/0.005)^{-1}$ structures such as primordial black hole clusters. However, in both cases, the star formation efficiency needs to be significantly enhanced.

Abstract: Using the numerical modular bootstrap, we constrain the space of $1+1\mathrm{d}$ conformal field theories (CFTs) with a finite noninvertible global symmetry described by a fusion category $\mathcal{C}$. We derive universal and rigorous upper bounds on the lightest $\mathcal{C}$-preserving scalar local operator for fusion categories such as the Ising and Fibonacci categories. These numerical bounds constrain the possible robust gapless phases protected by a noninvertible global symmetry, which commonly arise from microscopic lattice models such as the anyonic chains. We also derive bounds on the lightest $\mathcal{C}$-violating local operator. Our bootstrap equations naturally arise from a ``slab construction,'' where the CFT is coupled to the $2+1\mathrm{d}$ Turaev-Viro topological quantum field theory , also known as the symmetry TFT.

Abstract: In the recent proposal [Phys. Rev. Lett. 129, 191101 (2022)], the black holes were viewed as topological thermodynamic defects by using the generalized off-shell free energy. In this paper, we follow such proposal to study the local and global topological natures of the Gauss-Bonnet black holes in AdS space. The local topological natures are reflected by the winding numbers, where the positive and negative winding numbers correspond to the stable and unstable black hole branches. The global topological natures are reflected by the topological numbers, which are defined as the sum of the winding numbers for all black hole branches and can be used to classify the black holes into different classes. When the charge is present, we find that the topological number is independent on the values of the parameters, and the charged Gauss-Bonnet AdS black holes can be divided into the same class of the RNAdS black holes with the same topological number 1. However, when the charge is absent, we find that the topological number has certain dimensional dependence. This is different from the previous studies, where the topological number is found to be a universal number independent of the black hole parameters. Furthermore, the asymptotic behaviors of curve {\tau}(r_h) in small and large radii limit can be a simple criterion to distinguish the different topological number. We find a new asymptotic behavior as {\tau}(r_h \to 0) = 0 and {\tau}(r_h \to \infty) = 0 in the black hole system, which shows topological equivalency with the asymptotic behaviors {\tau}(r_h \to 0)=\infty and {\tau}(r_h \to \infty)=\infty. We also give an intuitional proof of why there are only three topological classes in the black hole system under the condition (\partial_{r_h} S)P > 0.

Abstract: We explore the impact of small-scale flavor conversions of neutrinos, the so-called fast flavor conversions (FFCs), on the dynamical evolution and neutrino emission of core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe). In order to do that, we implement FFCs in the spherically symmetric (1D) CCSN simulations of a 20 solar-mass progenitor model parametrically, assuming that FFCs happen at densities lower than a systematically varied threshold value and lead to an immediate flavor equilibrium consistent with lepton number conservation. We find that besides hardening the electron neutrino and antineutrino spectra, which helps the expansion of the shock by enhanced postshock heating, FFCs can cause significant, nontrivial modifications of the energy transport in the SN environment via increasing the heavy-lepton neutrino luminosities. In our non-exploding models this results in extra cooling of the layers around the neutrinospheres, which triggers a faster contraction of the proto-neutron star and hence, in our 1D models, hampers the CCSN explosion. Although our study is limited by the 1D nature of our simulations, it provides valuable insights into how neutrino flavor conversions in the deepest CCSN regions can impact the neutrino release and the corresponding response of the stellar medium.