We continue the program initiated in \cite{SVGS}. In this paper, we focus on the infinite $d-$regular tree, and prove the monotonicity of a weighted Dirichlet energy, a Weiss-type monotonicity formula, and a generalization of the Almgren monotonicity formula of \cite{SVGS} for $p\ge 1$. We also compute examples in the infinite $2-$ and $3-$regular trees.

We develop two penalty based difference of convex (DC) algorithms for solving chance constrained programs. First, leveraging a rank-based DC decomposition of the chance constraint, we propose a proximal penalty based DC algorithm in the primal space that does not require a feasible initialization. Second, to improve numerical stability in the general nonlinear settings, we derive an equivalent lifted formulation with complementary constraints and show that, after minimizing primal variables, the penalized lifted problem admits a tractable DC structure in the dual space over a simple polyhedron. We then develop a penalty based DC algorithm in the lifted space with a finite termination guarantee. We establish exact penalty and stationarity guarantees under mild constraint qualifications and identify the relationship of the local minimizers between the two formulations. Numerical experiments demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of our proposed methods compared with state-of-the-art benchmarks.

We show that an out-of-equilibrium percolation transition occurs after quenching ferromagnetic Ising-like systems across their magnetic first-order transitions. As a paradigmatic example, we consider a two-dimensional Ising system driven across its low-temperature first-order transition line by a quench of the magnetic field $h$ from $h_i<0$ to $h>0$. In the thermodynamic limit and for finite values of $h$, the post-quench evolution under a purely relaxational dynamics is characterized by a dynamic transition at a finite critical time $t_c(h)$ from the metastable negatively magnetized phase to the positive one, marked by the percolation of the largest clusters of positive and negative spins. This out-of-equilibrium percolation transition displays a finite-size scaling behavior as in the standard random-percolation case. However, while the fractal dimension of the percolating clusters is consistent with the random-percolation value, the exponent controlling the approach to criticality differs and depends on $h$. We also show that the percolation critical behavior is related to the spinodal-like behavior of the magnetization in the small-$h$ limit, which implies that the percolation time $t_c(h)$ exhibits a spinodal-like exponential dependence on $h$.

Ionizing radiation is a known source of correlated errors in superconducting quantum processors, inhibiting the functionality of quantum error correction surface codes. High-energy photons and charged particles deposit pair-breaking energy into these systems leading to excess quasiparticles near Josephson junctions that increase qubit decoherence. Previous investigations of this problem have relied on ambient, stochastic sources of ionizing radiation or alternative methods of quasiparticle generation. Here, we present a facility that couples an electron linear accelerator (linac) to a dilution refrigerator to study ionizing radiation in quantum systems. A single linac electron closely mimics the energy deposition characteristics of a typical cosmic-ray muon, and we demonstrate the facility's usefulness with a multi-qubit superconducting transmon chip. Characteristic radiation-induced relaxation errors are quickly and easily collected with the speed and timing information of the linac. Additionally, we present qubit excitation and detuning errors that can be difficult to detect without the on-demand source of ionizing radiation. These error signatures are shown to be dependent on the junction placement and surrounding superconducting gaps.

In asymptotically-flat spacetimes, there is a clear distinction between radiative fluxes and Coulombic charges, and their relation is encoded in balance laws. In this paper, we first identify at the classical level the radiative energy flux for a minimally-coupled massless scalar field in 3+1 dimensions, and then investigate the balance law for the Bondi mass in black hole evaporation. In the usual spherically-symmetric model, the semiclassical balance law for the radiative flux implies that the Bondi mass receives a quantum correction which depends on the entanglement entropy of the Hawking radiation. Furthermore, the renormalized expectation value of the radiative flux turns out to be manifestly positive and does not coincide with the standard Fulling-Davies formula. We clarify the relation of this result to the Ashtekar-Taveras-Varadarajan proposal for 2d dilatonic black holes, and discuss its implications for black hole evaporation in 3+1 dimensions.

Understanding how practical lithium storage capacity varies with charge-discharge rate is crucial for designing durable anode free lithium batteries. We examine the lithiation behavior of single element metal electrodes-Al (alloying), Mg (solid solution intercalation), Ag (solid solution then alloying), and Cu (surface Li plating)-to determine how their mechanisms influence reversibility, measured by coulombic efficiency. Using electrochemistry combined with depth resolved ion beam profiling, we map local coulombic efficiency across current densities and identify dominant lithium loss pathways. Ag uniquely sustains fast kinetics and high reversibility at elevated rates due to rapid formation of gamma brass-type alloy phases. In contrast, Mg and Al show increasing irreversibility from kinetically or structurally driven Li trapping, while Cu exhibits the largest losses through porous, highly reactive plated lithium. These results reveal fundamental limits of anode free systems that depend on reversible Li plating without excess lithium and underscore the importance of metal selection for stable, high rate performance.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) offers new opportunities for reconstructing these unrecorded memory scenes, yet existing web-based tools undermine users' sense of agency through disengaging and unpredictable interactions. In this work, we advance three design arguments about how slow, tangible interaction can reshape human-AI relationships by making temporality, embodied agency, and generative processes experientially legible. We instantiate these arguments by presenting Memory Printer, a tangible design that combines silk-screen printing metaphors with text-to-image generation. The design features layered reconstruction that decomposes image generation into incremental steps, a physical wooden scraper enabling embodied control over image revelation, and built-in printing that produces tangible photos. We examine these arguments through a comparative study with 24 participants, exploring how participants engage with, interpret, and respond to this interaction stance. The study surfaces both opportunities -- such as vivid memory evocation, heightened sense of control, and creative exploration -- and critical tensions, including risks of false memory formation, algorithmic bias, and data privacy. Together, these findings articulate important boundaries for deploying generative AI in emotionally sensitive contexts.

Superconducting circuits with embedded symmetries are good candidates to robustly protect quantum information from dominant error channels. The $\cos(2φ)$ qubit, consisting of an island shunted to ground through a tunneling element that selectively transmits pairs of Cooper pairs, leverages charge-parity symmetry to protect from charge-induced errors. In this experiment, we observe a doublet of states of opposite Cooper-pair parity split by $13.6~\mathrm{MHz}$. Operating in a soft-transmon regime, this splitting is two orders of magnitude smaller than in previous implementations, pushing charge-induced losses well beyond the measured coherence times. Despite the low transition frequency, we demonstrate coherent qubit control, single-shot readout, and resolve quantum jumps. Charge protection of the qubit is evidenced by a $100-$fold suppression of the island charge matrix element compared to the unprotected plasmon transition, placing dielectric loss limits above $10~\mathrm{ms}$. The measured $T_1 = 70~μ\mathrm{s}$ and $T_2^\mathrm{echo}= 2.5~μ\mathrm{s}$ are instead limited by $1/f$ flux noise in the tunnelling element's loop. This experiment shows that pushing Cooper-pair pairing in the transmon regime sets high limits on charge-induced losses while preserving coherent control and single-shot readout of the low-frequency qubit. We identify flux noise as the dominant remaining limitation, calling for gradiometric designs or novel $4e$-tunneling elements.

This paper presents the first search for non-resonant Higgs boson pair production in association with a top-quark pair ($t\bar{t}HH$) using proton-proton collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 196 fb$^{-1}$, comprising 140 fb$^{-1}$ at a centre-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV and 56 fb$^{-1}$ at 13.6 TeV. The search targets three distinct final states expected from $t\bar{t}HH$ decays: (i) one lepton (electron or muon) with at least five $b$-quarks, (ii) at least two $b$-quarks accompanied by two leptons with the same electric charges or multiple leptons, and (iii) at least three $b$-quarks with two photons. The $t\bar{t}HH$ production cross-section, relative to its Standard Model prediction, is measured to be $μ_{t\bar{t}HH}=-3^{+11}_{-12}$. This result corresponds to a 95$\% $ confidence-level upper limit of 20 times the Standard Model prediction for the $t\bar{t}HH$ production cross-section, with an expected limit of 21. The Higgs effective field theory Wilson coefficient $c_{t\bar{t}HH}$ is also constrained at the same confidence level to the range of $-3.9<c_{t\bar{t}HH}<3.3$, compared with the expected range of $-4.0<c_{t\bar{t}HH}<3.5$.

In this paper, we propose an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and bird recognition scheme with signal processing and deep learning for integrated sensing and communications (ISAC) system. We first provide the basic scene of low-altitude targets monitoring, and formulate the motion equations and echo signals for UAVs and birds. Next, we extract the centralized micro-Doppler (cmD) spectrum and the high resolution range profile (HRRP) of the low-altitude target from the echo signals. Then we design a dual feature fusion enabled low-altitude target recognition network with convolutional neural network (CNN), which employs both the images of cmD spectrum and HRRP as inputs to jointly distinguish between UAV and bird. Meanwhile, we generate 237600 cmD and HRRP image samples to train, validate, and evaluate the designed low-altitude target recognition network. The proposed scheme is termed as AirGuard, whose effectiveness has been demonstrated by simulation results.

Locally noncentrosymmetric heavy-fermion compounds may produce long-sought correlated quantum phases, such as spin-triplet superconductivity with non-Abelian quasiparticles, but identifying the right candidate systems is challenging. Here, using the In flux method, we synthesize CeCoGe$_2$ single crystals, belonging to the highly tunable pseudotetragonal ($Cmcm$) Ce$TX_2$ family, which allows for substitutions at both the transition metal $T$ and at the $X$ sites. We identify a heavy-fermion ground state with a Sommerfeld coefficient $γ\approx 120$ mJ mol$^{-1}$ K$^{-2}$ and a non-Fermi-liquid exponent of the electrical resistivity, which may indicate its proximity to the putative quantum critical point. However, no signs of superconductivity or magnetic order are detected down to 20 mK. Our analysis of electrical transport and structural properties indicates that coherent charge transport and the emergence of superconductivity observed under hydrostatic pressure in related compounds (CePtSi$_2$ and CeRhGe$_2$) are suppressed in CeCoGe$_2$ by strong random potential scattering due to intrinsic Co vacancies (approximately 4% even in the highest-quality crystals). By tuning the growth stoichiometry and temperature profile, we demonstrate that the defect concentration can be controlled and has a pronounced effect on the residual resistivity. We hypothesize that superconductivity may be found in higher-quality CeCoGe$_2$ crystals grown by different techniques.

Large Language Model (LLM) agent systems have experienced rapid adoption across diverse domains, yet they suffer from critical user experience problems that limit their practical deployment. Through an empirical analysis of over 40,000 GitHub issues from six major agent frameworks (OpenClaw, AutoGen, CrewAI, LangGraph, Codex, Claude Code), we identify two fundamental resource management challenges: (1) scheduling failures leading to system unresponsiveness due to blocking, zombie processes, and rate limit cascades, and (2) context degradation causing agent "amnesia" from unbounded memory growth and poor retention policies. Drawing inspiration from decades of operating systems research, we present AgentRM, a middleware resource manager that treats agent resources analogously to OS resources. AgentRM employs a Multi-Level Feedback Queue (MLFQ) scheduler with zombie reaping and rate-limit-aware admission control, coupled with a three-tier Context Lifecycle Manager that implements adaptive compaction and hibernation mechanisms. Our evaluation demonstrates significant improvements: AgentRM-MLFQ reduces P95 latency by 86%, decreases lane waste by 96%, and increases throughput by 168% while eliminating zombie agents (0 vs. 29 baseline). AgentRM-CLM achieves 100% key information retention with 95% quality score compared to 65.1% retention and 87% quality for existing approaches, albeit with higher compaction costs (34,330 vs. 17,212 tokens).

Context. Cyclotron resonant scattering features (CRSFs) in accreting X-ray pulsars are often difficult to detect, especially when shallow or variable. Recent studies have shown that combining spectral and timing analyses enhances their detectability. Aims. We investigated the evolution of energy-resolved pulse profiles of the X-ray pulsar 4U 1901+03 during its 2019 giant outburst, focusing on the 30-40 keV range where there have been disputed claims of a cyclotron line detection. Methods. We analysed four NuSTAR observations of 4U 1901+03 at different luminosities. We studied energy-resolved pulse profiles using harmonic decomposition, cross-correlation analysis, energy-phase maps, and pulsed-fraction spectra. We also used Bayesian spectral modelling to assess the presence and properties of a cyclotron line. Results. We detected significant spectral-timing variability in the 30-40 keV range, which becomes stronger at lower luminosities. We found a pronounced drop in the pulsed fraction near 35 keV only in the lowest accretion state and in the first harmonic of one intermediate-luminosity observation. Adopting a Bayesian informative approach, we find evidence for a cyclotron line in all examined energy spectra, with an average centroid energy of E_cyc approx 32 keV (varying by only 1.6%), and an anti-correlation between line depth and luminosity. Conclusions. We show that a combined spectral-timing approach is more sensitive than phase-averaged spectroscopy to shallow cyclotron features. The luminosity-dependent evolution of pulse profiles and cyclotron line depth point to a drastic change in the emission geometry and accretion flow structure.

We consider vacuum anisotropic spatially homogeneous models in certain modified gravity theories (such as Hořava-Lifshitz, $λ$-$R$ or $f(R)$ gravity), which are expected to describe generic spacelike singularities for these theories. These models perturb the well-known Bianchi models in general relativity (GR) by a parameter $v\in (0,1)$ with GR recovered at $v=1/2$. We prove an analogue of the well-known Ringström attractor theorem in GR to the supercritical theories: for any $v\in (1/2,1)$, all solutions of Bianchi type $\mathrm{IX}$ converge to an analogue of the Mixmaster attractor, consisting of Bianchi type I solutions (Kasner states) and heteroclinic chains of Bianchi type II solutions. In contrast to GR, there are no solutions that converge to a different set other than the Mixmaster (such as the locally rotationally symmetric solutions in GR).

We update the results of the nucleon axial-vector charge with the third ensemble of the PACS10 gauge configurations, which are generated by the PACS Collaboration at the physical point with lattice volume larger than $(10\;{\rm fm})^4$ and three different lattice spacings, 0.085 fm (coarse), 0.063 fm (fine) and 0.041 fm (superfine). Although the results of the first two ensembles generated at the coarse and fine lattice spacings are published, our study using the third one generated at the superfine lattice spacing is still underway. In this work, the low-energy relations arising from the partially conserved axial-vector current (PCAC) relation are also examined in terms of the nucleon three-point functions to verify whether the lattice QCD data correctly reproduces the physics in the continuum within the statistical accuracy.

Let $\mathcal{C}$ be a proper minor-closed class of graphs. Given the minors excluded in $\mathcal{C}$, we determine the maximum $q$-centered chromatic number and the maximum $q$th weak coloring number of graphs in $\mathcal{C}$ within an $\mathcal{O}(q)$-factor. Moreover, when $\mathcal{C}$ excludes a planar graph, we determine it within a constant factor. Our results imply that the $q$-centered chromatic number of $K_t$-minor-free graphs is in $\mathcal{O}(q^{t-1})$, improving on the previously known $\mathcal{O}(q^{h(t)})$ bound with a large and non-explicit function $h$. We include similar bounds for another family of parameters, the fractional treedepth fragility rates. All our bounds are proved via the same general framework.

In this paper we obtain explicit linear upper bounds for the virtually cyclic dimension of normally poly-surface and normally poly-free groups. Our approach is based on a structural study of the balanced property (Lück's Condition~C), which provides structural control over commensurators of virtually cyclic subgroups. We prove general stability results showing that the balanced property is preserved under suitable short exact sequences, direct limits, and acylindrical graph of groups decompositions. As applications, we establish that normally poly-hyperbolic groups, normally poly-free groups, and normally poly-surface groups are balanced. These classes include, in particular, pure braid groups of surfaces with non-empty boundary, Artin groups of FC-type, right-angled Artin groups, and fundamental groups of mapping tori of surface homeomorphisms.

The extent to which galactic-scale astrophysical processes conspire with the underlying cosmological model to expel baryons from haloes remains a central question in galaxy formation. We present an analytical model for the gas distribution within and beyond haloes, based on the balance between gravitational collapse, hydrostatic pressure, and cosmic expansion. Our model predicts, from first principles, the halo-centric distance enclosing a baryon mass fraction equal to the cosmic value $f_{\rm b} = Ω_{\rm b}/Ω_{\rm m}$ (`closure radius') in an arbitrary $Λ$CDM cosmology. We compare the predictions with the results of six variants of the EAGLE cosmological, hydrodynamical simulation, encompassing values of the cosmological constant ranging from 0 to 100 times its observed value in our Universe, $Λ_0$. Despite its simplicity, our model exhibits excellent agreement with the simulations for haloes with mass $M_{\rm 200c} > 10^{11} M_\odot$ in the redshift range $0<z<3$, suggesting that it captures the key astrophysical processes and highlighting its robustness to the cosmological parameters. Thus, it provides the first physical explanation for the empirical closure radius-halo mass relation previously observed in simulations. Furthermore, we find that dark energy plays a non-negligible role in baryon evacuation: the simulations reveal that in the fiducial cosmological model, the closure radius at $z<2$ is $\sim 30\%$ larger than in an Einstein-de Sitter universe. In cosmologies with $Λ\geq 10 Λ_0$, dark energy emerges as the dominant factor in this process -- suggesting that, as our Universe transitions towards $Λ$-domination, dark energy eventually becomes the primary driver of baryon evacuation from massive haloes.

Sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks evolve from connecting devices to connecting intelligence. The focus turns to Goal-Oriented Communications, where the effectiveness of communication is assessed through task-level objectives over traditional throughput-centric metrics. As communication intertwines with learning at the edge, distributed inference over wireless networks faces a critical trade-off between task accuracy and efficient radio resource use. Traditional communication schemes (e.g., OFDMA) are not designed for this trade-off, often facing challenges related to scalability and latency. Therefore, we propose a novel goal-oriented framework that integrates over-the-air computation with spatio-temporal graph learning. Leveraging the wireless channel as an analog aggregation layer, the proposed framework enables low-latency message passing while efficiently aggregating semantically relevant features from distributed nodes. Theoretical analysis confirms that our analog architecture converges to the expressive power of digital message passing, while offering decisive scalability advantages. We assess the framework in proactive line-of-sight blockage prediction for millimeter-wave networks. Through high-fidelity ray-tracing simulations, the framework exhibits strong inductive generalization to unseen networks and adapts to domain shifts via lightweight transfer learning, matching or even outperforming digital baselines with significantly reduced communication overhead.

Partially fault-tolerant quantum computing (FTQC) has recently emerged as a promising approach for the execution of megaquop-scale circuits with millions of logical operations. In this work, we demonstrate the strengths and the limitations of this approach by conducting quantum resource estimation (QRE) of the space--time-efficient analog rotation (STAR) architecture using realistic hardware specifications for superconducting processors, and compare it against the QRE of the full FTQC architecture. We show how the performance of the STAR architecture's protocols is affected by hardware improvements. We also reduce the space requirements for partial FTQC by developing a procedure leveraging code growth to decrease the size of a factory producing analog rotation states. Our results reveal a non-trivial dependence of the optimal pre-growth code distance on the rotation angle with respect to post-growth infidelity. Further, we analyze space--time trade-offs between the factory size and the error-mitigation overhead, and observe that in an application-agnostic setting, there is a Goldilocks zone for circuits in the regime of roughly $10^5$--$10^6$ small-angle rotation gates. We show that quantum simulation of 2D Fermi--Hubbard model systems is a particularly well-suited application for the STAR architecture, requiring only hundreds of thousands of physical qubits and runtimes on the order of minutes for modest system sizes. Due to its favourable algorithmic scaling to larger system sizes, utility-scale simulation of the 2D Fermi--Hubbard model could potentially be attained using partial FTQC.

Existing quantum speed limits for controlled open quantum systems depend on the specified trajectory. For example, lower bounds on quantum annealing times in the presence of dissipation depend explicitly on the chosen annealing schedule. Recently, schedule-independent speed limits have been derived for annealing in the closed quantum system setting (SciPost Phys. 18, 159 (2025)). In this work, we generalize these results to open quantum systems, deriving schedule-independent lower bounds for quantum annealing times in systems described by a Lindblad master equation. We analyze the interplay between coherent control and dissipation in single- and two-qubit examples, demonstrating that the derived lower bounds capture key scaling behavior with respect to the strength of the dissipator. Finally, we apply the bound to thermal state preparation and show that the bound matches the expected asymptotic behavior for an Ising model in the high temperature limit.

Reduced density matrices are central to describing observables in many-body quantum systems. In electronic structure theory, the two-particle reduced density matrix (2-RDM) suffices to determine the energy and other key properties. Recent work has used matrix completion, leveraging the low-rank structure of RDMs and approximate theoretical models, to reconstruct the 2-RDM from partial data and thus reduce computational cost. However, matrix completion is, in general, an under-determined problem. Revisiting Rosina's theorem [M. Rosina, Queen's Papers on Pure and Applied Mathematics No. 11, 369 (1968)], we here show that the matrix completion is unique under certain conditions, identifying the subset of 2-RDM elements that enables its exact reconstruction from incomplete information. Building on this, we introduce a hybrid quantum-stochastic algorithm that achieves exact matrix completion, demonstrated through applications to the Fermi-Hubbard model.

Electromagnetic corrections to the $n$-point functions of lattice QCD can be evaluated using a position-space photon propagator defined in infinite volume. Here we address the computational challenge arising from the volume-squared sum over the endpoints of the photon propagator. We consider a class of integral representations of the photon propagator that lead to a factorization of the two volume-sums, the Fourier representation being one instance thereof. An alternative choice is based on expressing the free scalar propagator as the autoconvolution of the corresponding five-dimensional propagator. We compare the performance of three different choices in the context of electromagnetic corrections to the hadronic vacuum polarization, on a gauge ensemble of size $48^3\times128$ with a pion mass of 286 MeV. As an outlook, we discuss more generally the factorization of sums over internal vertices, taking as an example the hadronic light-by-light contribution to the muon $(g-2)$.

We consider a quantum gas consisting of $N$ hard spheres with radius $\frak{a} > 0$, obeying bosonic statistics and moving in the box $Λ= [0;L]^3$ with periodic boundary conditions. We are interested in the ground state energy per unit volume in the thermodynamic limit, with $N, L \to \infty$ at fixed density $ρ= N / L^3$. We derive an upper bound for the ground state energy density, matching the famous Lee-Huang-Yang formula, up to lower order terms, in the dilute limit $ρ\frak{a}^3 \ll 1$.

The presence of asymmetries and substructures in protoplanetary disks, revealed by both dust and gas emission, highlights the potential interplay and the broader connection between chemistry and dynamics in disk evolution. We explore multiple relationships using the nonparametric Kendall-$τ$ correlation to examine formaldehyde (H$_2$CO) emission with relation to stellar and disk properties for a subset of disks from the exoALMA sample. We also retrieve the H$_2$CO column density and excitation temperature using four transitions, measured in radial bins of 100 au, and quantify the level of asymmetry in the resolved peak intensity of the H$_2$CO emission. From our correlation analysis, we find no correlations with sufficient statistical significance. However, we identify tentative relationships that can be tested with larger samples. In particular, we report a proposed correlation ($2.1σ$) between stellar effective temperature and the formaldehyde excitation conditions, suggesting that, to first order, the central star dominates the nature of the H$_2$CO emission over possible dynamical asymmetries traced by dust. Although a correlation with the stellar luminosity was also expected, a larger sample is required to confirm or refute this trend. A possible correlation with spectral type, together with the broad range of H$_2$CO excitation temperatures within the inner 100 au of the studied disks, hint at possible multiple chemical formation pathways for H$_2$CO, including both gas-phase reactions and ice-surface chemistry on dust grains.

Gravitational-wave (GW) dark sirens provide an independent probe of the cosmic expansion history. Their cosmological constraining power, however, depends critically on precise luminosity-distance measurements and sky localizations for cross-matching with galaxy catalogs. Multiband GW observations can track GW events across different frequency bands and thus improve both. Motivated by this, we forecast the cosmological potential of intermediate-mass black hole binaries (IMBHBs) observed by a three-band GW detector network composed of Taiji (TJ), the Lunar Gravitational-wave Antenna (LGWA), and the Einstein Telescope (ET). We simulate detectable IMBHB populations and analyze them with a hierarchical Bayesian dark-siren framework that includes galaxy-catalog completeness and redshift uncertainties. We find that the TJ-LGWA-ET network outperforms all two-detector configurations considered here. In the $Λ$CDM model, it constrains the Hubble constant and matter density to $\sim 0.12\%$ and $\sim 0.6\%$, respectively. In the $w$CDM model, a 4-year dark-siren sample alone constrains the dark-energy equation-of-state parameter $w$ to $\sim 2.7\%$. Adding baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) and Type Ia supernova (SNe Ia) data improves the $w$ constraint to $\sim 2.1\%$, slightly better than that from the current CMB+BAO+SNe Ia combination. We also show that the final constraints remain sensitive to IMBHB population assumptions and galaxy-catalog limitations, which highlights the need for deep galaxy surveys with precise redshift measurements.

The Cauchy problem for the two-dimensional incompressible Euler equation is globally well-posed for smooth initial data. In this paper, we show that for a dense $G_δ$ set of initial data, the solutions lose regularity in infinite time, thereby confirming a long-standing conjecture of Yudovich in the smooth setting.

Vortex-force mapping (VFM) links vortical flow structures to aerodynamic forces through compact-domain integrals weighted by geometry-only Laplace potentials, but existing formulations are tied to simple geometries and laminar flows. In this study, we derive a Reynolds-averaged vortex force map (RA-VFM) directly from the incompressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations, augmenting the classical vortex-pressure (VP) term with a Reynolds-stress (RS) contribution based on the Laplace-potential-weighted divergence of the modelled Reynolds stress (Boussinesq eddy-viscosity form). The resulting framework reconstructs mean lift and drag from RANS mean fields while retaining spatial attribution of force production to specific regions and coherent structures within a compact control volume. We apply RA-VFM to unsteady RANS ($k$-$ω$ SST) simulations of a realistic gliding goshawk with strong three-dimensionality and a matched GOE803 aerofoil section. For the aerofoil, the VP term alone reproduces the CFD force curves over the pre- and near-stall range, with RS contributions becoming appreciable only in deep stall. For the bird, by contrast, the VP term underpredicts both $C_L$ and $C_D$, whereas including the RS term reduces the mean absolute error relative to CFD from $6\%$ to $2\%$ in lift and from $5\%$ to $1\%$ in drag over an angle of attack range of $0^\circ$-$20^\circ$. RA-VFM thus extends vortex-force mapping to turbulent, 3-D RANS flows and enables quantitative attribution of mean lift and drag to specific coherent structures within compact domains.

We report on a search using the IceCube Neutrino Observatory for MeV neutrinos from compact binary mergers detected through gravitational waves during the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) O1, O2, and O3 observing runs. The search focuses on events involving at least one candidate neutron star, such as binary neutron star (BNS) and neutron star--black hole (NSBH) mergers, which may produce a burst of thermal neutrinos due to the hot and dense conditions created during the merger. We looked for short-time increases in IceCube's detector activity around each gravitational-wave event, using four time windows centered on the merger time. We also performed a binomial test for two populations, those with and without at least one neutron star. No significant excess of neutrinos was found. We set upper limits on the MeV neutrino flux for each event, and we place constraints on MeV neutrino emission from mergers that have at least one neutron star. We showcase upper limits for GW170817, the first confirmed BNS merger, providing one of the strongest limits to date on MeV neutrino emission from such sources.

Transmission spectroscopy has enabled the analysis of exoplanet atmospheres. However, a major challenge is the noise from host stars, caused by stellar activity such as dark spots and bright plages. This noise can mimic or obscure signals in transmission spectra, complicating the study of exoplanetary atmospheres. We aim to characterize how unocculted stellar spots impact planetary absorption line profiles during transit by analyzing planet-occulted line distortions (POLDs). We used the SOAPv4 tool to simulate transits of a hot Jupiter orbiting a Sun-like star under different spot configurations. We analyze the induced POLDs in the Ca II K, the Na I doublet, and H-alpha lines. Our simulations show that POLDs vary with spot size, position, and stellar rotation. The Na I and Ca II K lines exhibit the strongest distortions, while H-alpha is comparatively less affected. Low-latitude spots and higher values of v sin i enhance both the amplitude and asymmetry of distortions, whereas high-latitude spots have a weaker impact. Larger spots generally lead to more pronounced modifications of line profiles, although their relative effect can decrease due to rotational broadening. Our results show that non-occulted stellar spots imprint structured and line-dependent distortions in high-resolution transmission spectra, with amplitudes and velocity shifts shaped by the combined effects of activity level, stellar rotation, and spot geometry. The projected spot area emerges as the dominant factor controlling the strength of these signatures, while the line response varies, with Ca II K being the most sensitive and H-alpha displaying distinctive asymmetric features. These findings demonstrate that stellar surface heterogeneities can mimic or alter planetary signals, highlighting the importance of detailed modeling for the reliable interpretation of upcoming observations.