Machine Learning Accelerates the Search for New Materials
A new study benchmarks the accuracy and efficiency of machine learning potentials for predicting stable crystal structures, paving the way for faster materials discovery.
Science
Warped Realities: How Cosmic Defects Shape Quantum Fields
New research explores how the interplay of cosmic strings, global monopoles, and the principles of Rainbow Gravity alter the behavior of scalar bosons at the quantum level.
Beyond Einstein: A Geometric Route to Dark Matter?
New research demonstrates a connection between extended gravity theories and mimetic gravity, suggesting dark matter may arise from fundamental geometric properties of spacetime.
Vanishing Reflections: New Limits on Mirror Matter
![Unit cell number (UCN) counts fluctuate predictably throughout a single storage measurement cycle, as detailed in reference [46].](https://arxiv.org/html/2602.23487v1/2602.23487v1/Timing-update2.png)
A precise search for neutron oscillations has tightened the screws on a leading dark matter candidate, pushing the boundaries of known physics.
Pinpointing Baryon Masses with Twisted Boundaries
![The construction utilizes a four-dimensional lattice and its two-dimensional section to implement C-periodic boundary conditions, a technique foundational to the orbifold construction detailed in reference [2].](https://arxiv.org/html/2602.23910v1/2602.23910v1/orbifold.png)
New Lattice QCD calculations leverage C-periodic boundary conditions to refine our understanding of baryon masses and improve the accuracy of isospin breaking corrections.
The Weight of Time: Limits on Microscopic Clock Accuracy
![For a given distribution, the variance exhibits an approximate power law relationship across a range of [latex]\mathcal{N}[/latex] values, remaining remarkably consistent-with fitted γ values of 0.490, 0.495, and 0.491 for ratios of [latex]n/\mathcal{N}[/latex] of 10%, 50%, and 90% respectively-and converging further toward ½ as [latex]\mathcal{N}[/latex] increases, indicating a predictable scaling behavior independent of the specific ratio within the studied range.](https://arxiv.org/html/2602.24177v1/2602.24177v1/ninetypercent.png)
New research establishes a fundamental trade-off between the precision of quantum clocks and the gravitational disturbance they create in spacetime.
Taming Dirac’s Ghosts: A New View of Negative Energy States
![The study demonstrates distinct energy spectra for electrons and positrons, modeled by equations [latex] (24) [/latex] and [latex] (25) [/latex] respectively, highlighting fundamental differences in their energetic behavior.](https://arxiv.org/html/2602.23384v1/2602.23384v1/x3.png)
A new analysis resolves long-standing paradoxes within the Dirac equation by focusing exclusively on positive energy solutions, offering a refined foundation for relativistic quantum electrodynamics.
Hunting the Elusive Toponium: A New Approach at the LHC
![The study details distributions of [latex]\mathrm{t\bar{t}}[/latex] events-both those originating from top quark pairs alone and those combined with toponium contributions-across key angular and kinematic observables like [latex]\Delta R[/latex], [latex]\Delta \phi[/latex], [latex]p^{\star}[/latex], [latex]D^{(1)\mathrm{evt}}[/latex], [latex]\cos\theta^{\prime}[/latex], and [latex]\widetilde{M}^{\mathrm{evt}}\_{2}[/latex], normalized to an integrated luminosity of [latex]\mathcal{L}=140[/latex] fb$^{-1}$ at 13 TeV, demonstrating how subtle variations in event characteristics can reshape the apparent signal and potentially obscure the fundamental processes at play.](https://arxiv.org/html/2602.23426v1/2602.23426v1/figures/ttbar_Mtilde2.png)
Researchers are leveraging spin correlations and quantum information tools to sharpen the search for toponium, a fleeting bound state of top and antitop quarks, at the Large Hadron Collider.
Beyond Alloys: Mapping the Landscape of Complex Materials
![The approach establishes a multi-component featurization by assigning each atom a cutoff radius [latex]R_{cut}[/latex] and core exclusion radius [latex]R_{core}[/latex] sampled from distributions dependent on the chemical element, then maximizes the feature information entropy of the dataset augmented with candidate configurations to refine the spatial arrangement.](https://arxiv.org/html/2602.23489v1/2602.23489v1/x4.png)
A new modeling framework and comprehensive dataset are unlocking the potential of multi-elemental materials with unprecedented accuracy and predictive power.
Beyond Black Holes: Seeing the Universe’s Hidden Objects
![Numerical solutions demonstrate that for [latex]m=2[/latex] and [latex]m=4[/latex], the behavior of [latex]h[/latex], [latex]\bar{\phi} - \bar{\phi}_0[/latex], and [latex]{\cal M}/M_0[/latex] as functions of [latex]r/r_0[/latex] exhibits qualitative similarities, particularly in the minima of [latex]h[/latex], despite slight variations in asymptotic values of [latex]\bar{\phi}[/latex], and occurs with parameter choices where α is just below the critical value necessary for photon ring formation.](https://arxiv.org/html/2602.23657v1/2602.23657v1/x4.png)
New research explores how exotic compact objects, supported by dark matter interactions, could reveal themselves through unique gravitational lensing effects.