Galaxies evolve in tandem with their environments -- mergers and gas inflows drive galaxy growth while galactic outflows launched by supernovae may seed the galactic environment with gas, metals, and energy, fueling star-formation far from the main bodies of galaxies. The formation histories of young stars in the stellar halos of nearby galaxies can help understand this interplay. We thus present the most detailed map to date of young stars in the stellar halo of M82, a starburst galaxy in the M81 Group that hosts a prototypical outflow, using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Subaru Hyper-Suprime Cam observations. We find widespread extraplanar populations of stars with ages $\lesssim630$ Myr, with clear detections of stars up to $\sim5$ kpc to the south in unique arc-like stellar features (Southern Arcs) and in a new stellar trail up to $\sim20$ kpc to the east (M82's Tail), originating from the Southern Arcs. We estimate a total halo star formation of $\sim4\times10^6\,M_\odot$ in the last $630$ Myr. Overall, the star formation history (SFH) of the M82 Tail is correlated with periods of heightened star cluster formation in the M82 disk, which suggests the influence of the starburst outflow. Further, the fraction of young stars decreases as we move away from M82 to the east. We forward a picture where the M82 Tail formed from ram pressure stripped gas arising from M82's westward motion, triggered by shocks from the outflow.

Optical atomic clocks provide exceptionally accurate and precise signals for timekeeping and precision measurements, but they require high-power, free-space laser configurations that limit scalability. We introduce and explore a scalable infrastructure for strontium (Sr) optical-lattice clocks that incorporates co-design of atomic-beam slowing and a magneto-optical trap (MOT) from an effusion source, generation of complex, three-dimensional free-space laser configurations with a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) and metasurface (MS) optics, and laser stabilization to a frequency-comb supercontinuum generated with integrated nonlinear photonics. With these elements, we realize MOTs of all stable strontium isotopes ($^{84}$Sr, $^{86}$Sr, $^{87}$Sr, $^{88}$Sr) with populations commensurate with natural abundances, demonstrating precise beam control and robustness. Access to laser-cooled alkaline-earth atoms with scalable integrated photonics enables system engineering for optical clocks, quantum sensing, and quantum information, and our experiments demonstrate extensible technologies that advance toward a Sr optical clock largely free of bulk optics.

We propose a generalization of quantum field theory within Schrodinger's functional representation, inspired by Nambu's proper-time formulation of quantum mechanics. The key motivation for this generalization is to incorporate a fundamental, Lorentz-invariant minimum scale, which in this formulation is played by a minimal proper time $τ_{\min}$. The introduction of $τ_{\min}$ leads to several significant effects at very high energies: it modifies the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, induces a controlled violation of unitarity, and suppresses high-energy modes. This minimal scale renders the theory asymptotically safe through a mechanism akin to dimensional reduction, while reproducing all the standard results at low energies, where quantum field theory emerges. Remarkably, the same framework can accommodate a deterministic regime at energies approaching the Planck scale. These features suggest that a minimal proper-time formulation renders the quantum field theory an effective but finite theory, superseded at trans-Planckian energies.

Belief propagation (BP) provides a scalable heuristic for contracting tensor networks on loopy graphs, but its success in quantum many-body settings has largely rested on empirical evidence. Developing upon a recently introduced cluster-expansion framework for tensor networks, we rigorously study the applicability of BP to many-body quantum systems. For a state represented as a PEPS satisfying a ``loop-decay" condition, we prove that BP supplemented by cluster corrections approximates local observables with exponentially small relative error, and we give explicit formulas expressing local expectation values as BP predictions dressed by connected clusters intersecting the observable region. This representation establishes a direct link between cluster corrections and physical correlation functions. As a result, we show that ``loop-decay" \emph{necessarily implies} exponential decay of connected correlations, yielding sharp, rigorous criteria for when BP can and cannot succeed, and ruling out its validity at critical points. Numerical simulations of the two- and three-dimensional transverse field Ising model at zero and finite temperature confirm our analytical predictions, demonstrating quantitative accuracy deep in gapped phases and systematic failure near criticality.

We present a physically motivated spectral energy distribution (SED) modelling framework for deriving stellar and circumstellar disc parameters from broadband photometry. The model combines a parametrized disc structure, dust opacity, and interstellar extinction within a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) inference scheme, allowing correlated parameters to be constrained self-consistently. Initial parameter estimates are obtained via non-linear least-squares fitting and subsequently refined through MCMC sampling. The method is first validated using the well-studied debris disc system 49 Cet, for which the model successfully reproduces key literature properties. It is then applied to the previously uncharacterised young stellar object (YSO) candidate 2MASS J02512618+6012576, using photometric measurements compiled from multiple surveys. The resulting fit indicates a late-type pre-main-sequence star surrounded by a substantial circumstellar disc consistent with a moderately embedded Class II object. We further assess the sensitivity of the inferred parameters to the adopted extinction law and find that the high reddening required by the model is robust against variations in $R_V$. This work demonstrates that physically meaningful constraints on disc structure can be obtained from broadband SED modelling when extinction and distance are treated within a statistically consistent framework.

Chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS) was recently observed in photo-excited donor-chiral bridge-acceptor molecules, but a predictive theory able to explain available experiments is still lacking. Here we show that low-energy torsional modes modulating hopping and spin-orbit coupling give rise to a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction between the transferred electron and the one sitting on the donor, producing high spin polarization for perfectly realistic parameters. Our model introduces a low energy scale in the spin dynamics which explains the magnetic field dependence observed in EPR measurements and predicts a non-trivial temperature dependence, as demonstrated by numerical simulations. The present theory lays the foundations for future test-bed experiments and for the design of applications in spintronics and quantum technologies.

Hypervolatile species such as carbon monoxide (CO) and molecular nitrogen (N2) have been detected in comets, and could be used to constrain comet formation temperature conditions if their presence is due to freeze-out and/or entrapment. Here we instead explore another plausible origin of cometary hypervolatiles: photodissociation of less volatile species. We characterize CO and N2 formation following ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and electron bombardment of carbon dioxide (CO2), ammonia (NH3), H2O:CO2, H2O:NH3, and H2O:CO2:NH3 cometary ice analogs. We find that CO and N2 form in all photoprocessed ices at temperatures between 10 K and 100 K, resulting in 0.4-0.9 % CO and 0.03-0.7 % N2 relative to water, and CO/CO2 and N2/NH3 mixing ratios of 2.5-62 % and 0.7-9 %, respectively, across the experiments. Because our initial ices are reasonably well-matched to interstellar ices and we use UV exposure similar to a dark cloud, we can compare the resulting ratios directly to cometary abundances. Such a comparison shows that while only a few of CO observations in comets are readily explained by photodissociation, almost all observed cometary N2 can be accounted for by photodissociation of NH3 embedded in water ice. The latter result is also consistent with observed similarly elevated isotopic ratios of N2 and NH3 in 67P. Taken together, our results suggest that N2/H2O ratios less than 1 % should be used cautiously when inferring a comet's formation location, while the more substantial CO abundances seen in many comets do likely imply entrapment at low ice temperatures.

We revisit the derivation of the Rhoades-Ruffini bound on the upper limit for the maximum mass of neutron stars and find that the assumption made there for the onset of an ultimately stiff phase of high-density matter is not stringent. Relaxing this assumption and allowing for an onset of stiff non-nucleonic matter under neutron star constraints at the saturation density or below boost the upper limit of the theoretically possible maximum mass to $4~M_\odot$ or higher, in the mass-gap region between neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes. We provide a fit formula for the dependence of this upper limit on the speed of sound and the onset density of the deconfinement transition.

Cardiovascular modeling has rapidly advanced over the past few decades due to the rising needs for health tracking and early detection of cardiovascular diseases. While 1-D arterial models offer an attractive compromise between computational efficiency and solution fidelity, their application on large populations or for generating large \emph{in silico} cohorts remains challenging. Certain hemodynamic parameters like the terminal resistance/compliance, are difficult to clinically estimate and often yield non-physiological hemodynamics when sampled naively, resulting in large portions of simulated datasets to be discarded. In this work, we present a systematic framework for training machine learning (ML) models, capable of instantaneous hemodynamic prediction and parameter estimation. We initially start with generating a parametric virtual cohort of patients which is based on the multivariate correlations observed in the large Asklepios clinical dataset, ensuring that physiological parameter distributions are respected. We then train a deep neural surrogate model, able to predict patient-specific arterial pressure and cardiac output (CO), enabling rapid a~priori screening of input parameters. This allows for immediate rejection of non-physiological combinations and drastically reduces the cost of targeted synthetic dataset generation (e.g. hypertensive groups). The model also provides a principled means of sampling the terminal resistance to minimize the uncertainties of unmeasurable parameters. Moreover, by assessing the model's predictive performance we determine the theoretical information which suffices for solving the inverse problem of estimating the CO. Finally, we apply the surrogate on a clinical dataset for the estimation of central aortic hemodynamics i.e. the CO and aortic systolic blood pressure (cSBP).

We study Frobenius algebras of operator fields and introduce a novel notion of duality for them. We show that, under the assumption that the operator fields forming the Frobenius algebra are mutual symmetries, the operator fields in the dual Frobenius algebra are also mutual symmetries. This result allows one to construct new infinite-dimensional integrable systems of hydrodynamic type starting from a given one. As the main application, we solve the long-standing Eisenhart--Stäckel problem for any Segre characteristic and in arbitrary dimension: namely, we describe all nondegenerate finite-dimensional integrable systems whose integrals are quadratic in momenta such that the corresponding $(1,1)$-tensors commute as operator fields.

Spiking neural networks encode information in spike timing and offer a pathway toward energy efficient artificial intelligence. However, a key challenge in spiking neural networks is realizing nonlinear and expressive computation in compact, energy-efficient hardware without relying on additional circuit complexity. In this work, we examine nonlinear computation in a CMOS+X spiking neuron implemented with a magnetic tunnel junction connected in series with an NMOS transistor. Circuit simulations of a multilayer network solving the XOR classification problem show that three intrinsic neuronal properties enable nonlinear behavior: threshold activation, response latency, and absolute refraction. Threshold activation determines which neurons participate in computation, response latency shifts spike timing, and absolute refraction suppresses subsequent spikes. These results show that magnetization dynamics of MTJ devices can support nonlinear computation in compact neuromorphic hardware.

We calculate the one-point functions of the marginal operator $\mathcal{L}'$ dual to the space-varying dilaton in 4D and 2D holographic Janus interfaces, extending results in arXiv:hep-th/0407073. We compare strongly-coupled supergravity and weakly-coupled CFT limits across $\mathcal{N}=0, 1, 2, 4$ holographic Janus interfaces in 4D SYM, and $\mathcal{N}=0, 4$ Janus interfaces for 2D D1-D5 CFT. Exact agreement between these regimes occurs only for the half-BPS interfaces in both 4D and 2D cases, while for other interfaces they agree to first order of the jump parameter. This result reinforces that exact weak/strong coupling matching for interface observables on supersymmetric (SUSY) conformal manifolds is exclusive to maximally SUSY interfaces.

Contact processes play an important role in classical non-equilibrium dynamics, describing the spreading of diseases, the dynamics of earthquakes and forest fires, and the distribution of information through the internet. Here we show that their quantum counterpart, where the spreading occurs through coherent couplings, displays even richer dynamics and offers new means of control. A quantum contact process on a topologically non-trivial lattice can be confined to a protected subspace corresponding to either a single site or a fully excited lattice. Furthermore, excitation spreading can be controlled to occur in quantized steps and on demand when employing topological pumps. We show that the many-body dynamics of excited domains can be mapped to an effective single-particle model, which also determines the topological properties. Throughout this work, we consider a specific type of contact process corresponding to coherent Rydberg facilitation in a tweezer array of trapped atoms in a one-dimensional lattice.

Altermagnets, recently proposed as a third category of collinear magnets, combine the features of zero net magnetization in antiferromagnets and the spin splitting in ferromagnets. While abundant spectroscopic evidence for altermagnetism has been reported, experimental observation of the anomalous Hall effect, a hallmark of ferromagnetism, remains scarce. Here, we present systematic measurements of the thermal Hall effect in two representative altermagnet candidates, MnTe and CrSb. In both materials, we observe a pronounced anomalous phonon thermal Hall signal, with no electrical counterpart observed, attributed to the coupling of this distinctive magnetic structure with phonons. Our findings establish the anomalous phonon thermal Hall effect as an intrinsic feature of altermagnets, and provide a sensitive probe to identify this new kind of quantum magnets.

Open-shell lanthanide atoms, and dysprosium in particular, combine a large ground-state angular momentum with dense electronic spectra, making their dynamical polarizability strongly dependent on wavelength and internal state and therefore particularly challenging to characterize accurately. This issue has become especially relevant with the recent development of single-atom trapping of dysprosium in optical-tweezer arrays, where precise knowledge of the polarizability is needed to design optimized trapping architectures. Here, we exploit the strong spin-dependent light shift near the $J'=J-1$ intercombination line at 530.306 nm to determine the background scalar and vector polarizabilities of $^{162}$Dy in its ground state near this wavelength. Our measurements quantitatively agree with atomic-structure calculations and provide new insight into the contributions of nearby transitions in a spectral region relevant to emerging dysprosium tweezer platforms.

The redshift drift provides a kinematic test of the cosmic expansion history through the slow time variation of the redshift of comoving sources. Motivated by the expected Sandage-Loeb measurements from future facilities, we investigate the drift within a cosmographic framework, modeling the Hubble rate through both a second-order Taylor expansion and a $(2,1)$ Padé approximant. We constrain the cosmographic parameters $(H_0,q_0,j_0)$ by combining Pantheon+ and SH0ES type Ia supernovae with gamma-ray bursts and then examine the impact of adding baryon acoustic oscillation measurements from the second DESI data release. The resulting constraints are used to construct a mock Sandage-Loeb catalog, after which the analyses are repeated including the simulated drift data. In this way, we assess the internal consistency of the reconstructed background rather than perform an independent forecast. Accordingly, we find that, for the SNeIa+GRB analysis, the Taylor reconstruction is compatible at the $1σ$ level with the $ω_0ω_1$CDM scenario, whereas the Padé parameterization improves the agreement of $q_0$ with the $Λ$CDM paradigm. Once DESI BAO data are included, the agreement with the reference background models weakens to the $2σ$ level. The addition of the mock Sandage-Loeb sample mainly tightens the bounds on $q_0$ and $j_0$, with moderate shifts in the central values. We finally compare the reconstructed redshift drift with the corresponding behavior predicted by the $Λ$CDM and $ω_0ω_1$CDM scenarios.

The potential association between gravitational waves (GWs) and fast radio bursts (FRBs) offers a unique multi-messenger probe for cosmology. In this paper, we develop a redshift-independent framework to constrain cosmological parameters using the luminosity distance - dispersion measure relation, accounting for realistic astrophysical uncertainties. We perform a comprehensive comparative analysis across different GWs detector sensitivities and modeling assumptions. Specifically, we investigate the performance of the current LIGO-Virgo (LV) network (at $z < 0.2$) versus the future Cosmic Explorer (CE). Our study further evaluates the impact of different dispersion measure (DM) distributions -- specifically the corrected Macquart's PDF (Zhuge+2025) and the log-normal distribution -- and explores the influence of including or excluding host galaxy DM contributions. Using realistic simulated observations, we find that while the current LV network lacks the precision to provide meaningful constraints, CE will enable high-precision cosmology. Even without spectroscopic redshifts, CE observations can effectively break parameter degeneracies and robustly constrain both cosmology and host galaxy parameters. These results highlight the necessity of next-generation detectors.

The 2-μm waveband, emerging as a highly promising candidate for optical communication, offers an extended wavelength window for high-speed optical transmission. Despite its potential, the development of integrated electro-optic (E/O) modulators operating at this wavelength range has been limited. Such E/O modulators are crucial for high-speed optical communication systems at the 2-μm waveband. In this work, we propose and experimentally demonstrate high-performance E/O absorption modulators based on a graphene-silicon slot waveguide. Our approach enables wideband, high-speed, efficient, robust and compact modulators at both 2-μm and 1.5-μm wavebands. This work represents a significant advancement towards the realization of high-speed integrated E/O modulators for optical communication systems operating at the 2-μm wavelength range.

The propagation of the transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) waves in an effectively two-dimensional (2D) isotropic medium is described by Bergmann's equation of acoustics. We develop a dynamical formulation of the stationary scattering of these waves and explore its application in the study of the low-frequency behavior of the scattering data. Specifically, we introduce a suitable notion of fundamental transfer matrix for TE and TM waves in 2D. This is an integral operator $\widehat{\mathbf{M}}$ that carries the information about the scattering properties of the medium and admits a Dyson series expansion involving a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian operator. For situations where the inhomogeneities of the medium are confined to a layer of thickness $\ell$, we use the Dyson series for $\widehat{\mathbf{M}}$ to construct the series expansion of the scattering amplitude in powers of $k\ell$, where $k$ is the incident wavenumber. We derive analytic expressions for the leading- and next-to-leading-order terms of this series, verify the effectiveness of their application to a class of exactly solvable models, and use them to study low-frequency invisibility. In particular, we develop a low-frequency cloaking scheme which is applicable for both TE and TM waves. Our results have immediate applications in the study of low-frequency scattering of acoustic waves in a 2D fluid as these waves are also described by Bergmann's equation.

The absorption of light by materials is one of the most fundamental processes in optics and condensed-matter physics. Here we investigate whether laser light is absorbed by a crystalline material as an electromagnetic wave or as localized photon energies. We excite the first-order phase transition of vanadium dioxide with laser pulses of sufficient frequency to overcome the band gap but with insufficient pulse energy to overcome the latent heat. According to Maxwell's equations and Bloch theory, no transition should occur, because nowhere in the material is enough energy. Nevertheless, we observe with ultrafast electron diffraction for short times a disordered crystal geometry with nanometer-sized spots of switched material. Their amount matches approximately to the number of photons in the absorbed laser wave. Two optical experiments confirm this phenomenon, and simulations of single absorbed photons reproduce all measurements results. Although laser light and Bloch electrons are extended quantum objects, the energy of the individual photons is localized into nanometer dimensions, enabling local consequences at substantially higher energy than average.

Power grids must modernize to meet climate goals while maintaining reliable and stable operating conditions. Yet progress is hindered by a limited understanding of the stochastic processes underlying grid frequency and phase-angle fluctuations, which are induced by the growing penetration of renewable generation, consumer demand fluctuations, and market trading. This issue is particularly acute in Africa, where grids often face weak investment. Here, we present results from a newly collected, large-scale, high-resolution dataset of grid frequency and phase angles for the United Kingdom and South Africa, comprising close to one billion data points. Using superstatistical modeling, we treat market-driven power fluctuations as a slowly varying parameter driving grid dynamics and incorporate nonlinear frequency control. As a result, we derive an analytical model that reproduces multimodal frequency distributions previously obtained from numerical simulations, as well as heavy-tailed fluctuations and double-exponential frequency autocorrelation decays, all in excellent agreement with experimental measurements. Beyond frequency, we also address the so far largely overlooked problem of characterizing spatial phase-angle fluctuations. By comparing our predictions with measurement data, we demonstrate that a low-dimensional effective grid model accurately fits South African data despite the grid's complexity. We also highlight significant differences between the grids of South Africa and the United Kingdom. Our results clarify how energy markets and control policies shape grid dynamics across countries with contrasting infrastructure maturity.

We derive a concrete closed string dual to any interacting Hermitian one-matrix model, away from the double-scaling limit. Matrix and string correlators manifestly agree, to all orders in the genus expansion and all orders in the 't Hooft coupling(s). The worldsheet theory consists of a supersymmetric B-twisted Landau-Ginzburg model coupled to 2d topological gravity. We provide a precise dictionary between traces of the matrix and vertex operators on the worldsheet. Matrix model correlators are explicitly mapped to computable integrals over the moduli space of Riemann surfaces. We perform several direct cross-checks on both sides of the duality. This work furnishes a detailed instantiation of gauge/string duality, in the standard 't Hooft regime, and hopefully a useful worldsheet toy model for the AdS/CFT correspondence, away from the free field limit.

A novel design is presented for a permanent magnet array to address specific challenges with scalable trapped-ion quantum computing systems. Design and optimization of this magnet geometry is motivated by concepts for large-scale Quantum Charge-Coupled Device (QCCD) architectures. This proposal is relevant to magnetic field gradient schemes for laser-free entanglement using long-wavelength radiation, and individual addressing based on spatially dependent, magnetic field sensitive qubits. This configuration generates a localized, asymmetric magnetic field, yielding a region for ion transport into and out of a strong magnetic field gradient, while minimizing the absolute field experienced by the ion. This is a distinct improvement for scalability over dipolar magnet geometries where a strong magnetic field surrounds a magnetic field nil in three dimensions, which is problematic for ion transport applications. The design also relaxes the alignment constraints for experimental setup by allowing greater tolerance to misalignment in two dimensions. Additionally, the potential to scale a permanent magnet scheme in QCCD systems circumvents engineering challenges associated with using large electrical currents to generate the field gradient. Finally, a conceptual discussion is given for incorporating the design into a scalable QCCD type architecture.

High-order extensions of the Hopfield model are known to exhibit dramatically enhanced storage capacity at equilibrium, while their dynamical retrieval properties remain less well understood. In our previous work, we carried out a dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) analysis of the Krotov--Hopfield-type dense associative memory and found that the transition between successful and failed retrieval is accompanied by pronounced slow dynamics. As a consequence, the effective basin of attraction observed in numerical simulations extends well beyond that predicted by equilibrium statistical mechanics. A natural hypothesis is that this discrepancy originates from diagonal (self-interaction) contributions in the Krotov--Hopfield model, which generate a large number of lower-order interaction terms and may induce glassy relaxation near the retrieval boundary. To test this hypothesis, we analyze an alternative high-order associative memory model, namely the Abbott--Arian-type $p$-body Hopfield model, in which such diagonal contributions are absent by construction. Using dynamical mean-field theory, we derive an effective single-site process together with closed macroscopic equations governing the retrieval dynamics. Our analysis reveals that both slow dynamics and a substantial enlargement of the apparent basin of attraction persist even in this model. These results indicate that the dynamical slowdown near the retrieval boundary cannot be attributed primarily to diagonal self-interaction effects, but instead originates from intrinsic properties of high-order interactions.

We propose a new scintillator-based tracker concept based on a monolithic plastic scintillator plate with embedded scatterers and wavelength-shifting fiber readout. The embedded scatterers localize scintillation light so that channels closer to the charged-particle crossing point collect more light. The particle crossing position is reconstructed from the channel-to-channel light yield distribution with a position resolution well below the readout pitch. We performed a positron beam test with prototypes to validate the reconstruction principle and to evaluate the detection efficiency and position resolution. The beam test validated the position reconstruction principle, and demonstrated a near-100% detection efficiency and a position resolution of 1.47 mm for normal incidence and 1.85 mm for an incidence angle of 45°, with the 10-mm readout pitch. In this paper, we describe the detector concept, the reconstruction method, and the results of the beam test.

We investigate the co-evolution of the stellar and dark matter mass of satellite galaxies using the COLIBRE cosmological hydrodynamical simulations with subhaloes resolved by the history-based HBT-HERONS subhalo finder. We identify a universal tidal track connecting stellar mass loss to subhalo mass loss characterized by two distinct phases, which can be well described by the two-parameter model. The initial phase consists primarily of dark matter stripping, whereas stellar stripping becomes significant only after the subhalo bound mass fraction drops below a critical value ($\sim 0.057$). We find a bimodal mass loss rate distribution of subhaloes. In satellites with modest mass loss rates, the stellar mass is largely frozen. By contrast, the galaxy quickly becomes unresolved, along with the dark matter component for the extreme-mass-loss population, naturally explaining the lack of ``orphan'' galaxies in previous hydrodynamical simulations. Our model also predicts the formation condition for dark-matter-deficient galaxies (DMDGs), whose abundance peaks at $m_{*}\sim 10^{9.5}\,\rm{M}_{\odot}$. The abundance of DMDGs can be very sensitive to numerical effects, with COLIBRE resolving a much larger DMDG population than previous hydrodynamical simulations. We also estimate the influence of artificial disruption on the satellite stellar mass function, which can amount to 20 (50) per cent at $m_* \sim 10^{9} (10^{8}) \, \rm M_\odot$, given a baryonic mass resolution of $\sim 10^{6}\,\rm{M}_{\odot}$.

Dark-matter haloes do not form in isolation but within the surrounding cosmic web. By the time a halo begins to collapse, its larger-scale environment has typically collapsed along two axes, forming filaments that channel anisotropic infall toward the halo. In this work, we derive from first principles the characteristic Lagrangian scale ratio at which such an anisotropic tidal field most strongly influences halo formation. Specifically, we identify the inflection point of the conditional probability that the tidal field, smoothed on a scale Rsd, undergoes two-dimensional compression, given the presence of a density peak of rarity nu on a smaller scale Rpk. For a standard LambdaCDM cosmology, we find (Rsd/Rpk)infl = 2.2 + (nu-2.5) for Rpk corresponding to a tophat filter of 8Mpc/h. This result implies that the anisotropic tidal influence on a collapsing halo typically extends to 2-3 times the size of its Lagrangian patch. Recast as a function of formation redshift z, the characteristic filament scale around 2.5 sigma peaks can be approximated by Rsd(z) = 31 /(2+(1+z)**2)Mpc/h. We provide practical scaling laws for selecting dynamically relevant smoothing scales in large-scale surveys and for setting initial patch sizes in high-resolution zoom simulations.

Precision tests of the Standard Model using $β$ decay have always relied on a careful choice of transition to minimize residual nuclear structure uncertainties. Following breakthroughs in nucleon-level radiative corrections in the last decade, however, corrections due to nuclear structure are once more a limiting factor in several scenarios. Progress in ab initio nuclear theory provides a path forward, but common recoil-order approximations in traditional formalisms often go unnoticed. Here, we critically examine their origin and address recently resolved and identify open questions.

Edge-localized-mode (ELM) filaments are crucial for cross-field transport at the tokamak edge; yet, their dynamics are often analyzed using the cold-ion approximation, despite experimental data indicating that Ti~Te . This study employs a normalized three-dimensional fluid model to investigate the influence of finite ion temperature on the dynamics of unidirectional current-carrying ELM-like filaments. We demonstrate that increasing ion temperature substantially alters filament propagation and interaction, resulting in a delay of filament merging despite an increase in total kinetic energy due to a stronger pressure-gradient drive. The examination of single-filament dynamics indicates that finite ion temperature generates asymmetric potential structures, strong poloidal flows, and persistent rotational motion, which channel kinetic energy from radial propagation into vortical dynamics. A comprehensive examination of the ion-to-electron temperature ratio reveals a distinct transition from radially dominated to rotation-dominated behavior as ion temperature increases. These results provide a unified physical explanation for reduced radial transport and delayed merging in the warm-ion domain, emphasizing the necessity of incorporating ion temperature effects in the modeling of ELM filament dynamics and edge plasma transport.

We embed general boundary value problems for the time-harmonic Maxwell equations into the elliptic boundary value theory. This is achieved by introducing two new scalar functions to the electromagnetic field and imposing additional boundary conditions, after which the problem becomes elliptic. The results are applied to general problems for Maxwell's equations in bounded and unbounded domains, as well as to the transmission problem with inhomogeneities on the right-hand side of the equations and at all boundaries. Relations between the inhomogeneities of the elliptic problem are established that provide a one-to-one correspondence between the solutions of Maxwell's problem and the solutions of the elliptic boundary value problem.