Sustaining cooperation in resource-constrained populations requires allocation mechanisms that balance individual incentives, resource sustainability, and distributional fairness. This paper proposes a network common-pool resource game in which individuals are embedded in complex networks, participate in multiple overlapping local resource pools, and face endogenous resource constraints during strategy evolution. Within this framework, we first examine two representative allocation mechanisms, equal allocation and proportional allocation. The results show that equal allocation produces fair but inefficient outcomes by weakening contribution incentives, whereas proportional allocation can temporarily promote cooperation but amplifies accumulated advantages and leads to severe inequality. To overcome these limitations, we develop a graph neural network-based reinforcement learning framework in which a learned social planner allocates local pool resources without directly controlling individual strategies. Simulation results under four representative network topologies show that the learned planner sustains higher cooperation levels and average accumulated resources, and reduces inequality compared with the baselines. Furthermore, we interpret the learned policy and distill it into two simpler mechanisms: a resource-dependent mixture mechanism for regular networks and a degree-conditioned mixture mechanism for heterogeneous networks. These mechanisms reveal that effective allocation should adapt to both local resource states and structural positions, providing an interpretable route from reinforcement learning policy search to mechanism design in networked resource-sharing systems.

Charge-density-wave (CDW) order in kagome metals is highly sensitive to external tuning parameters such as chemical substitution and hydrostatic pressure, which generally suppress long-range order. Here, using high-resolution X-ray diffraction under controlled uniaxial strain, we show that anisotropic lattice deformation instead stabilizes and enhances the CDW state in ScV$_6$Sn$_6$. Compression along the [H00] and [HH0] directions lowers the crystal symmetry from hexagonal to orthorhombic, lifts the degeneracy between symmetry-equivalent in-plane CDW domains, and promotes long-range order while preserving the underlying trimer instability. Phonon calculations indicate only a moderate stabilization of the imaginary flat phonon mode, demonstrating that the increase in T$_\mathrm{CDW}$ is primarily driven by the in-plane ordering of the Sn$^\mathrm{T}$--Sc--Sn$^\mathrm{T}$ \textit{rattling} chains within the frustrated kagome lattice. A phenomenological model incorporating strain-dependent Ising couplings within a three-state Potts framework successfully reproduces the evolution of T$_\mathrm{CDW}$ under compression and captures the continuous nature of the transition. Our results establish uniaxial strain as a powerful symmetry-selective tuning parameter for order-disorder transformations in frustrated lattices.

We present a symmetry-adapted qubit encoding with complete active space (SAE-CAS) for quantum chemistry on fault-tolerant and near-term quantum processors. Building on exact-symmetry encodings, we extend symmetry-adapted mappings to approximate $Z$-symmetries corresponding to frozen-core and virtual orbitals, thereby reducing qubit requirements without significant loss of accuracy. We derive the mapping from the second-quantised Hamiltonian to active-space qubit Hamiltonians, prove its equivalence to the canonical CAS Hamiltonian with frozen-core and virtual-orbital projection, and integrate it with point-group and spin-parity symmetry encodings via affine Clifford transformations to maximise qubit reduction while preserving the target symmetry sector. The same framework also accommodates the Bravyi--Kitaev mapping, yielding an SAE-CAS-BK variant that is unitarily equivalent to SAE-CAS. Numerical benchmarking on nine small molecules using UCCSD and a hardware-efficient shifted-circular-alternating (HE-SCA) ansatz shows that SAE-CAS reduces qubit counts and Pauli-operator weight, yields shallower circuits with fewer parameters, and often accelerates VQE convergence; with HE-SCA it consistently reaches CAS reference energies in cases where JW-CAS does not converge within the tested budgets. We provide an open-source implementation in the Python package QuantumSymmetry. SAE-CAS offers a route to resource-efficient molecular simulations on fault-tolerant and near-term quantum processors.

Two dimensional site interaction models of water and alcohols are mixed in various proportions and studied by Monte Carlo simulations, with the purpose to clarify problems related to simulation of real micro-heterogeneous systems. Three alcohols are considered, methanol, pentanol and octanol. The main finding is that, while real alcohols demix with water from butanol onward, their 2D analogs are always fully miscible, while developing increasingly pronounced micro-segregation as the alcohol tail length increases. This is not a consequence of the intrinsically higher fluctuations in 2D, but rather a reorganization of these fluctuations under the charge ordering mechanism. The second finding is that water drives the micro-segregation through strong self-aggregation, but this is not enough to achieve full phase separation because of the water-alcohol contact at the outer rim of the water domains. In this work we examine how this local heterogeneity develops with increasing alcohol alkyl tails, monitored with the study of pair correlation functions, structure factors and Kirkwood-Buff integrals. The absence of clear local self-averaging of the latter provides an illustration of the tension between energy driven maintaining of local structures and entropy driven global homogeneity. In that, the 2D modelisation of real hydrogen bonding mixtures allows to better capture and reveal the physics behind the chemistry of these liquids.

Deconfined quantum critical points (DQCPs) involving lattice symmetries evade the conventional Landau paradigm because the competing orders break incompatible internal and crystalline symmetries. We show that a class of DQCPs can nevertheless be understood as Landau-type transitions after gauging anomalous onsite symmetries. For spin chains with Lieb-Schultz-Mattis (LSM) anomalies, gauging produces a noninvertible lattice translation whose fusion closes only up to ordinary translations, giving rise to a crystalline categorical symmetry. In the gauged description, the original DQCP becomes a transition between different symmetry breaking patterns of this categorical symmetry. We demonstrate this mechanism in microscopic lattice models; the magnetic-valence-bond-solid (VBS) DQCP realizes a Rep($D_8$)-type crystalline categorical Landau transition, whereas a y-antiferromagnetic-VBS DQCP realizes a Rep($H_8$)-type one. Although Rep($D_8$) and Rep($H_8$) share the same fusion rules, they have inequivalent $F$-symbols and therefore define distinct categorical descriptions. Our results show that the universal categorical structure underlying these DQCPs is encoded in the full fusion category, rather than in the fusion ring alone.

We perform minimalistic reconstructions of the dark energy density and equation of state using late-time distance measurements. Our methodology avoids assumptions that correlate the values of these functions over time and instead yields their approximate average evolution within seven redshift bins from $z=0$ to $z=4.2$. Constraints are obtained using combinations of BAO measurements from DESI and SDSS, alongside Type Ia supernovae measurements from Pantheon+ and the latest recalibrated samples, Union3.1 and DES-Dovekie. Only an acoustic scale prior is included from the CMB so that our results are insensitive to the possible matter density tension between early and late-time probes. All combinations yield consistent reconstructed histories: a dark energy density that rises to a local maximum before decreasing at late times and an equation of state with two apparent oscillations around the cosmological constant limit. Both functions tentatively suggest a phantom crossing in the equation of state around $z\sim0.6$-$0.8$. These patterns are robust to numerous parameter extensions, such as freely varying spatial curvature and neutrino mass, and they persist in the uncorrelated amplitudes obtained through localized principal component analysis. Deviations from $Λ$CDM in individual bins reach a maximum significance of $\sim2.6$-$3σ$, while the total chi-square difference between the reconstructions and this model provides up to $\sim2σ$ support for the seven additional parameters in the reconstructions. As these significances remain moderate, our main result is the level of consistency between combinations of the most widely used background-level observations. Our results suggest that the dark energy evolution signal is a persistent feature of the data and that it cannot be explained solely by fluctuations or systematics in individual measurements.

The paper considers a large class of nonlinear circuits, termed RLCM, containing all four basic circuit elements, i.e., resistors, inductors, capacitors and memristors. A companion paper [1] has introduced a mixed potential for RLCM circuits generalizing that found by Brayton and Moser for circuits without memristors. In this paper, systematic Lyapunov-like results on convergence of RLCM circuits are proved by means of the mixed potential. These hold under the basic assumption that an RLCM circuit has a complete set of variables in the flux-charge domain and they require, roughly speaking, that there is a balance, which is quantitatively estimated, between capacitors and inductors. The convergence results are robust with respect to circuit parameter variations and they include cases where the memristor circuits possess multiple stable equilibrium points, which is of importance for instance to implement content addressable memories (CAMs). The results extend to circuits possessing all four basic circuit elements previous results that pertain to circuits without memristors or memristor circuits without inductors. The main proofs are conducted by using the flux-charge analysis method (FCAM) to analyze RLCM circuits in the flux-charge domain.

Fluctuational electrodynamics relies on the assumption that thermal fluctuations in distinct bodies are statistically independent. We show that this approximation breaks down in the extreme near-field regime, where overlapping evanescent surface fields hybridize optical phonons across nanometric vacuum gaps and generate fluctuating-current cross correlations between opposite interfaces. Using a microscopic coupled-oscillator model combined with a Green-tensor formulation of the Poynting vector, we derive the resulting correlation-induced correction to the radiative heat flux. For polar materials supporting surface phonon-polaritons, these correlations become significant when the hybridization energy is comparable to the intrinsic damping rate and can substantially modify conventional fluctuational-electrodynamics predictions at subnanometric separations. Our results establish a microscopic framework for correlated thermal fluctuations in the extreme near-field regime and quantify their impact on radiative heat transfer.

This paper considers geometric problems of the following type: given a point set $P \subset \mathbb R^2$, one seeks a large subset avoiding a prescribed geometric configuration. Our main result states that, for any $P \subset \mathbb R^2$, there exists a subset $P' \subset P$ with $|P'| \gg |P|^{1/3}$ such that all of the distances determined by $P'$ are distinct. This improves a result of Charalambides. We make heavy use of a result of Li and Postle concerning the independence number of hypergraphs which satisfy some edge distribution conditions, as well as tools from incidence geometry.

We compare the classical phase-plane analysis of a dynamic two-dimensional IS--LM model with a sign-based trend approach. Applying both methods to the same specification, we examine which qualitative properties of the system can be established solely from sign relations and how these methods can complement each other. In summary, these two approaches capture complementary perspectives on the qualitative behaviour of the considered model, combining the detailed local classification of equilibrium dynamics provided by phase-plane analysis with the broader admissible qualitative structures captured by trend-based analysis.

Spectrally selective infrared (IR) thermal emitters are gaining much attention now-a-days for sensing, spectroscopy and biomedical applications. In this research, two metasurface incorporated IR emitters are proposed and numerically analyzed using finite element method (FEM). First structure comprises a NiCr heater integrated with a NiCr-based metallic nanotube array (Me-NTA) metasurface to produce a single-narrowband emission in the mid-infrared (MIR) region. Furthermore, an Au-based Me-NTA metasurface on a NiCr-Au hybrid heater subsequently produces dual-narrowband emission in the short-and far-infrared (SIR and FIR) spectrums. Function of these emitters can be explained by Joule heating with the help of DC bias and consequently uniform temperature distribution can be observed along the active region. Simulation analysis shows that NiCr-metasurface based emitter produces single narrow-band near perfect emission centered at 4.5 μm in MIR region at an operating temperature of 700 K with maximum in-band conversion efficiency (CE) of 32.3% and radiated power of 199 mW. On the other hand, Au-metasurface based emitter generates dual-narrowband emission peaking at 2.5 μm and 10 μm, correlating to SIR and FIR subsequently, achieving maximum emission of 93% and 85%, respectively. The in-band CE for this emitter attains 10.4% and 4.4% in the first and second bands, associated with radiated powers of 350 mW and 147 mW, accordingly. Furthermore, execution of the emitter at 500 K reveals FIR emission with reduced power consumption. These results substantiate the possibilities of the suggested emitters in various industrial and biomedical applications.

Odd-wave magnets are the counterparts to even-wave altermagnets realizing odd-parity spin splitting. Normally discussed for noncollinear systems, they have recently been shown to appear in collinear magnetic states in the presence of loop currents. Here we study collective excitations of the paramagnetic and magnetic phase of the seminal Haldane-Hubbard model. We identify the existence topological excitons in the paramagnetic phase, and their condensation as the driving mechanism into the collinear Néel state. The latter realizes an odd-wave magnet with odd-parity magnons displaying a characteristic $f$-wave splitting. We further uncover that an electron bandgap closing ensures magnon bandgap closing causing a change in odd-parity magnon topology, as well as a drastically enlarged spin splitting. Our results establish the presence of topological excitons and odd-parity magnons in the Haldane-Hubbard, with potential realizations in Floquet-driven materials and cold atomic gases.

The cycle space of a graph $G$, denoted $\mathcal{C}(G)$, is a vector space over ${\mathbb F}_2$, spanned by all incidence vectors of edge-sets of cycles of $G$. If $G$ has $n$ vertices, then $\mathcal{C}_n(G)$ denotes the subspace of $\mathcal{C}(G)$, spanned by the incidence vectors of Hamilton cycles of $G$. We consider several known sufficient conditions for Hamiltonicity and show that an appropriate and fairly mild strengthening of each such condition in fact ensures the stronger property $\mathcal{C}_n(G) = \mathcal{C}(G)$. In particular, we consider the classical Chvátal-Erdős criterion and prove that (under various additional restrictions) if $n$ is odd and $κ(G) \geq c α(G)$, where $c$ is a sufficiently large absolute constant, then $\mathcal{C}_n(G) = \mathcal{C}(G)$. Moreover, considering the McDiarmid-Yolov criterion we prove that if $n$ is odd and $δ(G) \geq \max \left\{2 \tildeα(G) + 9, \tildeα(G) + 18 \right\}$, where $\tildeα(G)$ is the so-called bipartite independence number of $G$, then $\mathcal{C}_n(G) = \mathcal{C}(G)$. We also prove that if $n$ is odd and $G$ admits $16 α(G) + 12$ pairwise disjoint connected dominating sets, $\mathcal{C}_n(G) = \mathcal{C}(G)$. Finally, we consider an effective Chvátal-Erdős type criterion for bipartite graphs and prove that if $G$ is a balanced bipartite graph on $2n$ vertices, satisfying $α_{\emph{BIP}}(G) \leq 2 δ(G) - 24$, then $\mathcal{C}_{2n}(G) = \mathcal{C}(G)$.

The hardness of the Learning Parity with Noise (LPN) problem is a foundational assumption in cryptography, forming the basis of constructions ranging from symmetric-key primitives to public-key encryption and beyond. A central open question is whether the average-case hardness of LPN can be based on worst-case complexity assumptions, as has been achieved for the analogous Learning With Errors (LWE) problem. Existing worst-case-to-average-case reductions for LPN [BLVW19, YZ21] rely on statistical smoothing of linear codes, which inherently limits the resulting average-case hardness to noise rates as large as $1/2 - 1/\mathrm{poly}(n)$, which is insufficient for public-key applications. We explore a new approach towards obtaining such reductions: rather than requiring that random sparse combinations of the rows of the generator matrix of a code be statistically close to uniform, we only require that they be computationally indistinguishable from uniform. This leads to a clean win-win structure: we show that any efficient LPN solver can be transformed into a pair of efficient algorithms $(S, D)$ such that for every matrix $A$ of appropriate dimensions over $\mathbb{F}_2$, either $S$ decodes the code generated by $A$ from random noise, or $D$ distinguishes random noisy codewords of the dual of this code from uniform. By instantiating this reduction with appropriate parameters, we obtain the average-case hardness of LPN with inverse-polynomial noise rate $n^{-α}$ for any constant $α< 1$, assuming the worst-case simultaneous hardness of decoding a code from random noise and distinguishing random noisy codewords of its dual from uniform. In particular, setting $α= 1/2$, our reduction yields LPN hardness in the parameter regime required for Alekhnovich's construction of public-key encryption [Ale03], a regime that was previously inaccessible via worst-case reductions.

The classical Wallman compactification of a $T_1$-space and the Stone--Čech compactification of a completely regular space rely on choice principles. We show that, by representing a space by its powerset MT-algebra (McKinsey--Tarski algebra), both constructions admit choice-free compactifications. More generally, from any Wallman basis of a spatial $T_1$ MT-algebra we construct a compact $T_1$ MT-algebra which is a compactification of the original algebra. Taking the basis of all closed elements yields a choice-free Wallman compactification of every spatial $T_1$ MT-algebra, while taking the basis of zero-elements yields a choice-free Stone--Čech compactification of every spatial completely regular MT-algebra. Choice is only needed to show that the resulting compactifying algebras are spatial, and hence to recover the usual compactifying spaces. We also show that these constructions recover the corresponding compactifications of frames of opens.

The skew $(\mathfrak{gl}_{n}, \mathfrak{gl}_{r})$ Howe duality states that the exterior algebra $Λ(\mathbb{C}^{nr})$ admits a multiplicity-free decomposition under the natural actions of $\mathfrak{gl}_{n}\times \mathfrak{gl}_{r}$. In this paper, by using certain Lagrange interpolation polynomials of degree $r-1$, we extend the action of $\mathfrak{gl}_{n}$ on $Λ(\C^{nr})$ to its loop algebra $L(\mathfrak{gl}_{n})$. View $Λ(\C^{nr})$ as a module for the loop algebra $L(\mathfrak{sl}_{n})$ of $\mathfrak{sl}_{n}$ by taking restriction. We prove that every highest weight vector of $\mathfrak{gl}_{n}\times \mathfrak{gl}_{r}$ in $Λ(\C^{nr})$ generates a local Weyl module of $L(\mathfrak{sl}_{n})$. Furthermore, we obtain in this way an explicit realization of all local Weyl modules for $L(\mathfrak{sl}_{n})$.

We study a $λ$-biased random walk $(X_n)_{n\ge0}$ on the deterministic infinite rooted tree $\mathcal{T}=\{(i,j): i\ge0,\,0\le j\le i\}$, whose backbone is $\{(i,0):i\ge0\}$ and, for each $i\ge1$, the segment $\{(i,j):1\le j\le i\}$ forms a trap attached to $(i,0)$. The trapping effect induces long sojourns, yielding asymptotics markedly different from simple random walks. The walk is recurrent for $λ\ge1$ and transient for $0<λ<1$. In the transient regime it is sub-ballistic: its distance from the root grows logarithmically, with \[ \liminf_{n\to\infty}\frac{|X_n|}{\log n}=\frac{1}{\log(1/λ)},\quad \limsup_{n\to\infty}\frac{|X_n|}{\log n}=\frac{2}{\log(1/λ)},\quad\text{a.s.}. \] A contrast between spatial and temporal regeneration emerges. Let $C(n)$ be the number of cutpoints among the first $n$ backbone vertices and $M(N)$ the number of cut times up to time $N$. Then \[ \lim_{n\to\infty}\frac{C(n)}{n}= 1-λ,\qquad \lim_{N\to\infty}\frac{M(N)}{\log N}=\frac{1-λ}{\log(1/λ)},\quad\text{a.s.}, \] so cutpoints have positive linear density while cut times grow only logarithmically.

This case study illustrates that the systematic application of the User Experience Research (UXR) Point of View (POV) framework serves as an effective operational scaffolding for a UXR function undergoing the critical transition from incubation to maturity. By assimilating structured 'Offensive' and 'Defensive' strategies, the presented Playbook equips UXR leaders with an adaptable toolkit to systematically navigate common institutional barriers, such as stakeholder bias, reactive tasking, and insight fragmentation. By pre-emptive and purposeful application of growth strategies, the likelihood of the research function establishing itself as a strategic partner capable of delivering evidence-based, actionable perspectives is significantly enhanced. The analysis demonstrates how this deliberate, Playbook-driven maturity strategy empowers research functions to move beyond tactical execution and directly shape long-term business strategy.

Leadership in social groups emerges dynamically through interaction and opinion exchange. Empirical evidence indicates that individuals expressing strong opinions tend to gain influence, while sustained leadership critically depends on maintaining alignment with the surrounding social context. Motivated by these observations, we introduce a coupled dynamical model describing the simultaneous evolution of opinions and leadership in a networked population. Extending the Friedkin-Johnsen framework, we represent leadership as a time-varying susceptibility to social influence, which evolves according to a game-theoretic mechanism, consistent with social psychology evidence. Within this setting, agents strengthen their leadership by expressing decisive yet socially coherent opinions, whereas misalignment with the collective state results in a loss of influence. We analyze the coupled dynamics and establish sufficient conditions to identify which agents necessarily emerge as leaders and which act as followers in the social network.

In the breakthrough paper \cite{Mu-jems}, it is constructed the first example of a simply connected compact $5$-manifold (aka.\ Smale-Barden manifold) which admits a K-contact structure but does not carry a Sasakian structure. In this work we clarify some aspects of the construction of \cite{Mu-jems}, determining explicitly the number $N$ of symplectic surfaces needed to have an isotropy locus that produce a $5$-manifold that is K-contact but not Sasakian. Also, in order to analyse the geography problem of determining which Smale-Barden manifolds admit K-contact but not Sasakian structures, we refine and generalize the constructions of symplectic surfaces in a symplectic $4$-manifold with transversal intersections giving rise to such manifolds.

Demazure weaves are combinatorial representations of maps between Bott--Samelson cells and have been used to construct cluster structures on braid varieties. We show the compatibility of these maps and the resulting cluster structures with the standard Poisson structure on the Bott--Samelson variety. Adding frayed strands to Demazure weaves, we further construct Poisson compatible cluster structures on other affine charts of the Bott--Samelson variety in a manner that transition functions across charts become rational quasi-cluster. The mutation sequences we construct for these quasi-cluster morphisms are closely related to those of Ménard for open Richardson seeds.

A breakdown of calculations with exact impurity solvers in the dynamical mean field theory in multiband systems easily occurs due to the expensive numerical cost. To overcome this practical difficulty, three of the present authors developed an inexpensive and reliable impurity solver by combining the iterative perturbation theory (IPT) and parquet equation, and named it IPT+parquet [R. Mizuno, et al., Phys. Rev. B 104, 035160 (2021).]. In this study, we validate IPT+parquet focusing on the orbital fluctuation by comparing the numerically exact impurity solvers. We confirm that IPT+parquet can capture competition between orbital fluctuation channels, which the conventional IPT cannot capture.

Service discovery is essential in wireless communications. However, existing protocols provide limited privacy protection, leaking sensitive device information and opening routes to network attacks. This paper proposes a private service discovery protocol, called PriSrv, which enables both service providers and clients to specify fine-grained authentication policies before establishing connections. PriSrv achieves this via a dual-layer matching architecture: an outer layer filters mismatched entities using public attributes, while an inner layer handles mutual authentication using selectively disclosed private attributes. As a core component, we introduce the primitive of anonymous credential-based matchmaking encryption (ACME), which enables dual-layer matching in a single step to achieve bilateral policy control, selective attribute disclosure, and multi-show unlinkability. To instantiate ACME, we design a fast anonymous credential (FAC) scheme providing constant-size credentials and efficient verification. We demonstrate PriSrv's interoperability by integrating it with popular wireless frameworks including EAP, mDNS, BLE, and AirDrop. Detailed formal security proofs and extensive performance evaluations across desktop, laptop, smartphone, and Raspberry Pi platforms demonstrate that PriSrv provides enhanced privacy guarantees with high usability, achieving secure discovery in less than one second on mainstream mobile devices.

We prove the finiteness of the set of $j$-invariants of Drinfeld modules of rank 2 over $\mathbb{F}_q[T]$ which are CM and $S$-units, for $S$ the infinite set of primes with even degrees. The proof is based on the study of ordinary reduction and supersingular reduction of Drinfeld modules, and on the splitting behaviour of primes dividing the difference of two Drinfeld singular moduli. We also provide an algorithm to compute a polynomial with coefficients in $\mathbb{F}_q[T]$ and roots the $j$-invariants having CM by a given order, and use it to compute some explicit examples, providing for instance counterexamples to a conjecture of Dorman. For a maximal order $\mathcal{O}$, we prove by a universality argument that our algorithm computes the Hilbert modular polynomial $H_\mathcal{O}$.

We show that singular instanton Floer homology with the Chern--Simons filtration can be used to produce exotic pairs of slice disks. We moreover construct a strongly invertible $\mathbb{Z}$-slice knot for which any symmetric pair of $\mathbb{Z}$-disks are exotic, and remain exotic after stabilizing by $n\smash{\mathbb{CP}}^2$ or $n\smash{\overline{\mathbb{CP}}}^2$ (or by standard $n\smash{\mathbb{RP}}^2$ or $-n\smash{\mathbb{RP}}^2$) for any $n$. Our methods apply more generally to stabilization by any simply connected definite manifold, or by any number of exotic embedded projective planes of the same sign. We also provide an example of a strongly invertible knot which is $\mathbb{Z}$-slice and equivariantly slice, but not equivariantly $\mathbb{Z}$-slice. Along the way, we partially compute various symmetry actions on the singular instanton Floer complexes of two-bridge knots via an explicit analysis of their traceless $\mathit{SU}(2)$-character varieties.

Adiabatic state preparation is often slowed by nonadiabatic leakage near small spectral gaps. We propose an engineered dissipative protocol that uses a filtered reservoir to induce predominantly downward transitions in the instantaneous energy eigenbasis while leaving the instantaneous ground state dark. The leaked population generated by nonadiabatic driving is therefore continuously relaxed back toward the low-energy sector. An effective avoided-crossing analysis shows that in the regime where the engineered relaxation strength is much larger than the minimum gap, the runtime scaling can improve from the closed-system behavior $\mathcal{O}(Δ^{-2})$ to $\mathcal{O}(Δ^{-1})$ Finite-temperature upward transitions introduce a thermal error floor, but the enhancement survives when this heating rate remains below the target error tolerance. Numerical results show improved ground-state preparation over closed-system annealing. We also discuss a possible superconducting-circuit implementation using structured bosonic reservoirs.

We present experimental and theoretical studies of the off-resonant and strongly nonlinear regime of Josephson transmission lines (JTLs) with galvanically-coupled nonlinear elements. The transition from the weakly to the strongly nonlinear regime of a JTL induced by increasing the input power of the pump is probed via two-tone spectroscopy. Measurements of the phase of the transmission coefficient for a weak probe signal reveal a large increase and pronounced oscillations in the phase length variation as a function of the microwave power of the pump. Experimental observations are explained on the basis of the developed theoretical approach suitable for the description of the nonlinear response of strongly driven JTLs. Using the derived nonlinear wave equation, we show that the behavior of the phase length variation is associated with the oscillatory dependence of the Josephson inductances on the microwave power. It is demonstrated that the dissipation-induced propagation losses increase in the strongly nonlinear regime and also lead to smearing out the phase length oscillations. The developed theoretical analysis is in good agreement with experimental observations.

Text-to-audio retrieval has made significant progress with shared embedding models such as CLAP and Pengi, yet they often struggle with fine-grained semantic alignment due to the inherent modality gap between text and audio. In this work, we propose FORTE, a unified framework that integrates structured logical reasoning with parameter-efficient cross-modal alignment to improve retrieval precision. Our approach first transforms queries into first-order logic and refines them via a constrained search that preserves semantic invariance while introducing discriminative attributes. The refined representation is then aligned with audio embeddings using a lightweight projection module, followed by a predicate-aware re-ranking step that enforces logical consistency at inference. Extensive experiments on AudioCaps and Clotho demonstrate consistent improvements over strong baselines, particularly in challenging fine-grained scenarios. Our results highlight the effectiveness of combining symbolic reasoning with representation learning for cross-modal retrieval.

The Institute for Astrophysics Göttingen operates a solar observatory that combines a 50\,cm siderostat with (1) a vacuum vertical telescope, (2) a very high resolution Fourier Transform Spectrograph ($R > 900,000$ at 600\,nm), and (3) a Laser Frequency Comb for extremely precise and accurate frequency calibration ($<10\,cm/s$). We introduce our setup that feeds the spectrograph with either a 32.5" field of view of the solar surface, or with disk-integrated sunlight for Sun-as-a-star observations and explain the necessary computational steps to guide specific positions on the solar surface into the fiber. Our instrument suite can deliver spectroscopic measurements with extremely accurate frequency calibration, which is valid across very large frequency regions (approx. 400-800\,nm in wavelength). This allows precision spectroscopy of individual lines in order to study the variability of spectral lines in Sun-as-a-star observations as well as determining the convective blueshift across the solar surface from many spectral lines.

Fourier Transform Spectrographs (FTS) are versatile tools for measuring accurate, high resolution spectra. They are internally calibrated by a reference laser that runs in parallel to the science light. Therefore it is crucial to properly align these two beams with respect to each other. We show how this can be achieved by feeding a part of the reference light into the optical path of the science beam. For astronomical applications it's often useful to use optical fibers. We present a coupling setup for our Bruker Optics IFS 125 FTS, consisting of (1) two hexagonal input fibers, (2) dichroic beam-combining for measuring two light sources simultaneously and (3) optimized optics to match the original Bruker design. The hexagonal shape of the fiber cores secures sufficient mode scrambling inside the fibers, resulting in constant beam parameters and a more homogeneous illumination of the entrance aperture of the FTS.