Superheavy and hyperheavy nuclei are one of the frontiers of nuclear structure nowadays, while also for many actinides rather limited experimental information exists. Therefore, theoretical methods providing parameter-independent predictions for these nuclei are of particular interest. Such a method is the proxy-SU(3) approximation to the shell model, which has been adequately tested against experimental data in medium-mass and heavy nuclei up to the rare earth region, and has been found to provide reliable, parameter-independent predictions for the collective deformation variables beta and gamma. Within the proxy-SU(3) approach, the SU(3) symmetry of the 3-dimensional harmonic oscillator, which is destroyed beyond the sd shell by the strong spin-orbit interaction, is restored through a unitary transformation. For each nucleus, the most symmetric irreducible representation (irrep) allowed by the Pauli principle and the short-range nature of the nucleon-nucleon interaction, called the highest-weight (hw ) irrep in mathematical language, is found to suffice, except in cases in which the hw irrep turns out to be completely symmetric, so that the next highest weight (nhw) irrep has also to be included. In this article we provide a full collection of the hw and nhw irreps, as well as of the corresponding parameter-free predictions for the deformation variables beta and gamma, for all atomic nuclei ranging from Z=82, N=82 to Z=126, N=258. Several cases exemplifying the use of the collected results for studying the prolate to oblate shape transition, mirror symmetries, as well as the evolution of the collective variables along the valley of stability are also considered.

We present a comprehensive study of hybrid stars composed of hadrons, leptons, and quarks within a relativistic mean-field framework. Using coupling constants derived from QCD sum rules (QCDSR), we first determine the bulk properties of nuclear matter and evaluate the single-particle potentials of nucleons and hyperons to constrain the hadronic sector. The equation of state (EOS) under beta equilibrium is then constructed employing the $σ-ω-ρ$ model for the hadronic phase, while the quark phase is described using both the MIT bag model and the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model. The hadron-quark phase transition is analyzed through both Gibbs and Maxwell constructions. Based on resulting EOSs, we obtain the mass-radius relations of hybrid stars, investigate particle fractions and their radial distributions, and calculate the tidal Love number ($\mathcal{K}_{2}$) and the dimensionless tidal deformability ($\varLambda$). Our results provide quantitative predictions relevant for comparison with current multimessenger astrophysical observations.

In energy-momentum squared gravity (EMSG), the spacetime inside a neutron star is sourced by effective thermodynamic variables that need not coincide with the physical fluid pressure and energy density. It is therefore an open question whether the trace anomaly of dense matter -- the QCD measure of how strongly conformal symmetry is broken -- still organizes interior profiles and curvature in the same way it does in general relativity (GR). We adopt a clear matter-geometry separation: the trace anomaly is computed from the fluid sector alone, while spacetime curvature scalars are built from the variables that actually source the modified Tolman-Oppenheimer-Volkoff equations. For five relativistic mean-field equations of state, the radial trace-anomaly profiles increase monotonically from core to surface in all accepted EMSG models, as in GR, but split systematically with the EMSG coupling strength; the splitting grows with stellar compactness. Despite this deformation, curvature invariants still fall onto organized bands when plotted against the trace anomaly, extending the GR thermodynamic-geometric correspondence. The Ricci contraction shows the tightest organization, whereas the Ricci scalar remains the most equation-of-state sensitive. EMSG effects are modest for observationally accessible stars but largest in stiff, ultracompact configurations, indicating that the trace anomaly remains a useful thermodynamic label for interior geometry even when gravity couples nonlinearly to matter.

The success of DUNE's MeV physics program depends upon high-precision knowledge of the charged-current (CC) $ν_e+\mathrm{^{40}Ar}$ cross section. While there are indirect constraints at the 10% level for the nuclear transitions that constitute this cross section, the only direct measurement in the MeV range has an uncertainty of $\sim$50%. We show, surprisingly, that the cross section can be precisely measured using the solar-neutrino data themselves. This is possible because of independent knowledge of the $^8$B flux and survival probability, plus the distinctive angular distributions of the Fermi and Gamow-Teller transitions that comprise the cross section. We propose new methods to extract the transition strengths, considering both intuitive groupings and a Principal Component Analysis. Under pessimistic assumptions about detection, but taking detector uncertainties to be controlled, we demonstrate that a precision of $\lesssim$2% on the cross section can be achieved in the 9-15 MeV energy range. These results will be an important foundation for studying the cross section up to several tens of MeV, where the complexity increases significantly due to nuclear breakup channels but where reducing uncertainties is critical for supernova and atmospheric neutrino studies.

We study the scalar diquark mass and the quark--diquark potential by applying a HAL QCD-inspired potential method to a baryonic system composed of a scalar diquark and a static quark. The diquark mass is determined self-consistently by requiring that the p-wave baryonic spectrum obtained from two-point correlators be reproduced within the potential framework. Numerical calculations are performed using $2+1$ flavor QCD gauge configurations generated by the PACS-CS Collaboration on a $L^{3} \times T = 32^{3} \times 64$ lattice with $a^{-1} \approx 2.176$ GeV and the pion mass, $m_π \approx 702$ MeV. From the analysis, we obtain a scalar diquark mass which is close to the na\"ıve constituent quark estimate $ (2/3)m_{N}$, together with a quark--diquark potential of the Cornell type (Coulomb + linear). The string tension extracted from the quark--diquark potential agrees within approximately 5% with that obtained from the static quark--antiquark potential (Wilson Loop).

The ALICE Collaboration presents the first measurements of ${\rm D}^0$-tagged jet angularities in proton$-$proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 5.02$ TeV. Jet angularities are powerful substructure observables that characterize the angular and momentum distributions of particles within jets via tunable weighting parameters. Varying the angular parameter in jet angularities allows for a systematic probe of the sensitivity to collinear and soft radiation, enabling the study of flavor-dependent fragmentation and hadronization through comparisons of jets initiated by different partons. This paper reports ${\rm D}^0$-tagged and inclusive (gluon-dominated) charged-particle jet angularities with a resolution parameter $R=0.4$ in the low jet transverse momentum range ($10 < p_{\rm T}^{\rm ch. \, jet} < 20$ GeV/$c$), where charm-quark mass effects are most significant. At low angular weight, which emphasizes collinear radiation, ${\rm D}^0$-tagged jets exhibit smaller angularity values than inclusive jets. This provides evidence for the radiation suppression from massive quarks -- a phenomenon known as the QCD dead-cone effect. As the angular weight increases, giving more emphasis to wide-angle radiation, the difference between ${\rm D}^0$-tagged and inclusive jet distributions decreases. This indicates that the modification is concentrated within the jet core rather than its edge. PYTHIA 8 simulations qualitatively reproduce both the angularity of ${\rm D}^0$-tagged and inclusive charged-particle jets, but reproduce the ${\rm D}^0$-tagged jet distributions better than those of inclusive jets, offering a powerful new constraint for models. These results provide insight into flavor-dependent fragmentation and establish an essential baseline for future studies of jet modifications in the quark-gluon plasma produced in heavy-ion collisions.

Recent experimental advances in the baryon sector, including the observation of doubly charmed states, have renewed interest in the production mechanisms of increasingly heavy hadronic systems, calling for precision and uncertainty-controlled descriptions. We present the OMG3Q1.1 framework for the fragmentation of same-flavor all-heavy $Ω_{3Q}$ baryons in high-energy hadronic collisions. The construction combines diquark-inspired inputs for constituent-heavy-quark and gluon channels with threshold-aware DGLAP evolution within the HF-NRevo scheme. A replica-based strategy consistently quantifies perturbative missing-higher-order effects (F-MHOUs) and nonperturbative wave-function uncertainties (F-NPWFs), yielding the first uncertainty-resolved fragmentation-function set for the $Ω_{3Q}$ sector. The resulting LHAPDF6 grids are employed to investigate semi-inclusive $Ω_{3Q}$ plus jet production at the HL-LHC and future FCC within the (sym)JETHAD environment. The OMG3Q1.1 framework establishes a precision-oriented baseline for rare triply heavy baryons and provides a foundation for future studies of the heavy-flavor baryon landscape.

We perform a global Bayesian analysis of coherent and incoherent diffractive $\mathrm{J}/ψ$ photoproduction in $γ+p$ and $γ+\mathrm{Pb}$ collisions using a Color Glass Condensate (CGC)-based framework and ultraperipheral collision data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), corrected for the expected effect of electromagnetic dissociation (EMD). Using Gaussian-process emulators of the underlying CGC calculations, we infer model parameters from a combined set of HERA and LHC measurements. We find that the $γ+\mathrm{Pb}$ data with EMD correction substantially reduce the previously observed tension between proton and nuclear datasets, enabling a consistent simultaneous description of diffractive $\mathrm{J}/ψ$ production in $γ+p$ and $γ+\mathrm{Pb}$ collisions within the CGC framework.

This work investigates the electric, thermal, and thermoelectric responses of a rotating pion gas of finite transverse radius in the presence of a background magnetic field, with the rotation axis aligned with the magnetic field. We explicitly calculate the parameter limits for $π^+$ condensation and restrict our working regime safely outside these boundaries, ensuring well-behaved transport coefficients. Notably, the system exhibits a condensation asymmetry, with $π^-$ remaining uncondensed at the parameters that induce $π^+$ condensation. Using the Boltzmann Transport Equation under the Relaxation Time Approximation, we calculate the longitudinal electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and the Seebeck coefficient. Our results reveal a competing interplay between the magnetic field and rotation, highlighting the substantial impact of rotation on the medium's transport properties: while the magnetic field suppresses the transport coefficients in a static medium, rotation, acting as an effective chemical potential, introduces an energy shift that favors their increase. Beyond an angular velocity, this rotational enhancement overpowers the magnetic suppression, leading to an increase in the transport coefficients with increasing magnetic field. Finally, we analyze the relative significance of charge and heat transport through the Lorenz number, providing further insight into the transport characteristics of the rotating magnetized pion medium.

Recent high-precision parity-violating electron scattering (PVES) measurements on $^{208}$Pb (PREX-II) and $^{48}$Ca (CREX) reveal a tension in their simultaneous description within modern nuclear energy density functionals (EDFs). Analyses of these data suggest that an enhanced isovector spin-orbit interaction may help account for both measurements, but its relativistic origin in covariant density functional theory remains to be clarified. We show that, within the framework of a covariant density-dependent point-coupling EDF, an enhanced isovector tensor coupling can naturally induce such a strong isovector spin-orbit interaction. This mechanism provides a promising route toward a simultaneous description of the PREX-II and CREX results while preserving a reasonable description of finite nuclei and nuclear matter. PVES on $^{48}$Ca thus provides a sensitive probe of the covariant isovector tensor interaction.

Four-volumes ($V_4=$ spatial-3-volume$\times$lifetime) are calculated within the model of three-fluid dynamics (3FD) and compared with those of the the JET AA Microscopic Transport Model (JAM). The calculations are performed for central Au+Au collisions at energies $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=$ 3 -- 19.6 GeV. These $V_4$ indicate optimal collision-energy ranges for realizing macroscopic high baryon-density matter. It is found that the 3FD four-volumes noticeably exceed those in the JAM, which indicates a stronger baryon stopping in the 3FD model as compared to that JAM. It is argued that this difference in the baryon stopping correlates with stiffness of the EoS implemented in these models. Contrary to JAM, the four-volume, where a baryon density ($n_B$) exceeds three times the normal nuclear density ($n_0$), does not exhibit a maximum as a function of $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$. It decreases monotonically with increasing $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$, remaining at a fairly macroscopic level (i.e. $V_4\geq 5.5^4$ fm$^4$/c). For higher baryon densities, $V_4$ exhibits maxima in its dependence on $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$. The optimal energy range for densities $n_B/n_0>$ 4 is located at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=$ 3.2 -- 8 GeV. Even for $n_B/n_0>$ 6, the four-volume remains quite macroscopic ($V_4\geq 4^4$ fm$^4$/c) at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=$ 4.5 -- 9 GeV contrary to the JAM.

Azimuthal anisotropy scaling functions are constructed from species-resolved anisotropy measurements in Pb+Pb ($\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=2.76, 5.02~TeV) and Au+Au ($\sqrt{s_{NN}}$=7.7--200~GeV) collisions to probe baryon transport and medium response at finite baryon chemical potential ($μ_B$). Within this data-driven framework, meson and baryon anisotropies spanning the collective-flow and quenching regimes collapse onto common scaling curves, enabling quantitative separation of viscous attenuation, radial flow, and hadronic re-scattering. The attenuation scale $k_β$ exhibits a non-monotonic beam-energy dependence, coincident with the low-energy rise of hadronic re-scattering, consistent with a temperature-dependent specific shear viscosity featuring a near-minimum near the QCD critical region. A charge-odd baryon--antibaryon separation in the effective radial-flow response is negligible at LHC energies but grows toward lower $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$. This species-uniform, baryon-number-scaling separation across $p,Λ,Ξ,Ω$, and $d$ disfavors a purely hadronic origin and supports junction-driven net-baryon transport at finite $μ_B$, enhancing the experimental visibility of critical dynamics in finite, rapidly evolving systems. Together, these results establish species-resolved scaling functions as a compact and robust tool for constraining baryon stopping, medium opacity, and QGP transport properties.

Non-relativistic QCD (NRQCD) is used to calculate the relativistic correction to the amplitude for exclusive photoproduction of vector Quarkonia in the near-threshold region within the generalized parton distribution (GPD) framework. The relativistic corrections are found to be large for $J/ψ$, and lead to a breakdown of the GPD moment expansion near threshold. Cross-sections for both $J/ψ$ and $Υ$ are calculated with the former being compared to the data. We also demonstrate the presence of endpoint divergences for the relativistic correction away from the near-threshold regime.

We consider nuclear gamma decays and $γ$-emitting reactions that can be an efficient source of hypothetical millicharged particles ($χ$). In particular, we revisit the production of millicharged particles in nuclear reactor environment, pointing out that $γ$ cascades from $^{239}$U is an overlooked yet a powerful source of $χ\barχ$ pairs. This leads to an increased flux compared to previous studies. We then apply new estimates of the flux to derive novel limits on the value of millicharge, $\varepsilon = Q_χ/e$, from the electron recoil searched for in a variety of experiments placed in proximity to the reactor cores. The derived limits on $\varepsilon$ are the strongest in the interval of masses $\sim 0.7-2$ MeV. We also derive the MCP flux from the Sun and point out potential sensitivity of the low-threshold dark matter search experiments.

We update our previous extraction of transverse momentum distributions of unpolarized quarks in the pion by implementing a more comprehensive description of theoretical uncertainties and, for the first time, by exploring possible differences among quark flavors. We extract such distributions from all available data for unpolarized pion-nucleus Drell-Yan processes, where the cross section is differential in the transverse momentum of the final lepton pair. The cross section involves transverse momentum distributions in the nucleon, that we consistently take from our previous studies.

Semi-Inclusive Deep Inelastic Scattering (SIDIS) is a key tool for exploring the three-dimensional structure of the nucleon through Transverse Momentum Dependent parton distributions and fragmentation functions. While leading-power contributions to the SIDIS cross-section are well established, next-to-leading (NLP) of order $1/Q$ and next-to-next-to-leading power (NNLP) corrections of order $1/Q^2$ to the hadronic tensor have only recently begun to be systematically investigated. These corrections are essential for the reliable phenomenology and interpretation of modern high-precision data. In recent papers by one of the authors, NNLP corrections to Drell-Yan process were derived using rapidity factorization formalism. In the present work we extend this approach to SIDIS and obtain analytic expressions for the unpolarized structure functions. We derive NNLP corrections that include convolutions of unpolarized distributions, $f_1$, with unpolarized fragmentation functions, $D_1$, and Boer-Mulders functions, $h_1^\perp$, with Collins fragmentation functions, $H_1^\perp$. We compare our results with previous formulations, provide numerical studies, confront our predictions with HERMES and COMPASS measurements, and present predictions for future experiments at Jefferson Lab and the Electron-Ion Collider.

A recent non-perturbative formulation of $2n$ dimensional chiral gauge theories relies on realizing chiral fermions on the $2n$ dimensional boundary of a $2n+1$ dimensional disk manifold. It also requires extending boundary gauge configurations into the interior of the disk using some flow prescription that preserves 2n dimensional gauge invariance. In this paper we propose a concrete realization of the equation of motion flow with the disk embedded on a square lattice. In addition, we couple the flow gauge field to fermions and demonstrate the mechanism of anomaly inflow and anmaly cancellation at work on the lattice.

The proposal to formulate chiral gauge theories using domain wall fermions on $2n+1$ dimensional Euclidean lattice with a slab geometry involves $2n$ dimensional dynamical gauge fields residing on one of the domain walls. The gauge fields are extended into the extra dimension using gradient flow decoupling the mirror fermions on the anti-wall. We implement this construction on the lattice for $n=1$ in the presence of $2n$ dimensional background gauge fields. We also formulate and implement an additional gauge field flow proposal, where the gauge fields satisfy $2n+1$ dimensional equation of motion away from the domain wall, known as the EOM (equation of motion) flow. In both cases, we couple the gauge fields to fermions and demonstrate how current conservation and anomaly inflow work on the lattice.

We investigate thermal dilepton production from a quark-gluon plasma (QGP) with finite baryon chemical potential ($μ_{\text{B}}$) in central Pb-Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_{\text{NN}}}=5.02~\text{TeV}$. Recent studies suggest that sizable baryon densities can be achieved at forward rapidity even at LHC energies. We incorporate finite $μ_{\text{B}}$ into a (3+1)-dimensional hydrodynamic framework and find that $μ_{\text{B}}$ exceeds 500 MeV around $η_\text{s} = 6$ during the medium evolution. Using this framework, we calculate thermal dilepton spectra over a wide rapidity range and evaluate the impact of finite $μ_{\text{B}}$ on dilepton production. A suppression of 3-4% is observed in the forward-rapidity region $5.2 < y < 7.2$ due to the reduced quark-antiquark abundance at finite baryon density. We further examine the effective temperature extracted from dilepton mass spectra in the intermediate-mass region $1.2 < M_{\ell \ell} < 2.6~\text{GeV}$ . The effective temperature remains strongly correlated with the underlying hydrodynamic temperature and retains sensitivity to the early high-temperature stage of the QGP evolution. These results demonstrate that forward-rapidity dileptons remain effective thermometers while providing sensitivity to finite baryon density at the LHC.

We study rotating hybrid stars, with particular emphasis on the effect of spin on the deconfinement phase transition and star properties. Our analysis is based on a hybrid equation of state with a phase transition from hadronic matter containing hyperons to color-superconducting quark matter, where the quark phase is modeled within a relativistic density functional approach. By varying the strength of the vector repulsion and diquark pairing couplings in the microscopic quark Lagrangian, we construct a set of hybrid star sequences with different quark-matter onset densities. This framework ensures consistency with astrophysical and gravitational wave constraints on mass, radius, and tidal deformability.

We derive a generalized Beth-Uhlenbeck formula for the entropy of a dense fermion system with strong two-particle correlations, including scattering states and bound states. We work within the $Φ-$derivable approach to the thermodynamic potential. The formula takes the form of an energy-momentum integral over a statistical distribution function times a unique spectral density. In the near mass-shell limit, the spectral density reduces, contrary to naïve expectations, not to a Lorentzian but rather to a "squared Lorentzian" shape. The relation of the Beth-Uhlenbeck formula to the $Φ$-derivable approach is exact at the two-loop level for $Φ$. The formalism we develop, which extends the Beth-Uhlenbeck approach beyond the low-density limit, includes Mott dissociation of bound states, in accordance with Levinson's theorem, and the self-consistent back reaction of correlations in the fermion propagation. We discuss applications to further systems, such as quark matter and nuclear matter.