Publications

Order by: publication date number of citations

• Difference equations: From Berry connections to the Coulomb branch

  Andrea E. V. Ferrari, Daniel Zhang

  SciPost Phys. 18, 045 (2025) · published 5 February 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In recent work, we demonstrated that a spectral variety for the Berry connection of a 2d $\mathcal{N}=(2,2)$ GLSM with Kähler vacuum moduli space $X$ and Abelian flavour symmetry is the support of a sheaf induced by a certain action on the equivariant quantum cohomology of $X$. This action could be quantised to first-order matrix difference equations obeyed by brane amplitudes, and by taking the conformal limit, vortex partition functions. In this article, we elucidate how some of these results may be recovered from a 3d perspective, by placing the 2d theory at a boundary and gauging the flavour symmetry via a bulk A-twisted 3d $\mathcal{N}=4$ gauge theory (a sandwich construction). We interpret the above action as that of the bulk Coulomb branch algebra on boundary twisted chiral operators. This relates our work to recent constructions of actions of Coulomb branch algebras on quantum equivariant cohomology, providing a novel correspondence between these actions and spectral data of generalised periodic monopoles. The effective IR description of the 2d theory in terms of a twisted superpotential allows for explicit computations of these actions, which we demonstrate for Abelian GLSMs.

• Probing gluon density fluctuations at large momentum transfer $|t|$ at HERA

  Arjun Kumar

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 166 (2022) · published 14 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The information on the gluonic structure and its fluctuations is captured by the differential $|t|$ spectrum in diffractive events. The incoherent cross-section is sensitive to the fluctuations in the target wavefunction in such events. We investigate the incoherent $ep$ cross-section in $J/\psi$ photoproduction using the impact-parameter dependent dipole model. The spatial gluonic structure is modelled as hotspots of gluon density having substructure where this substructure is modelled as hotspots within hotspots. We find that three levels of the substructure provide a good description of all the data, available up to $|t|=30~$GeV$^2$. We investigate these fluctuations in both the saturated and non-saturated dipole models and compare our predictions with the HERA Data.

• The thermoelectric conversion efficiency problem: Insights from the electron gas thermodynamics close to a phase transition

  I. Khomchenko, A. Ryzhov, F. Maculewicz, F. Kurth, R. Hühne, A. Golombek, M. Schleberger, C. Goupil, Ph. Lecoeur, A. Böhmer, G. Benenti, G. Schierning, H. Ouerdane

  SciPost Phys. Core 8, 015 (2025) · published 7 February 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  The bottleneck in modern thermoelectric power generation and cooling is the low energy conversion efficiency of thermoelectric materials. The detrimental effects of lattice phonons on performance can be mitigated, but achieving a high thermoelectric power factor remains a major problem because the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity cannot be jointly increased. The conducting electron gas in thermoelectric materials is the actual working fluid that performs the energy conversion, so its properties determine the maximum efficiency that can theoretically be achieved. By relating the thermoelastic properties of the electronic working fluid to its transport properties (considering noninteracting electron systems), we show why the performance of conventional semiconductor materials is doomed to remain low. Analyzing the temperature dependence of the power factor theoretically in 2D systems and experimentally in a thin film, we find that in the fluctuation regimes of an electronic phase transition, the thermoelectric power factor can significantly increase owing to the increased compressibility of the electron gas. We also calculate the ideal thermoelectric conversion efficiency in noninteracting electron systems across a wide temperature range neglecting phonon effects and dissipative coupling to the heat source and sink. Our results show that driving the electronic system to the vicinity of a phase transition can indeed be an innovative route to strong efficiency enhancement, but at the cost of an extremely narrow temperature range for the use of such materials, which in turn precludes potential development for the desired wide range of thermoelectric energy conversion applications.

• Spin-$s$ $Q$-systems: Twist and open boundaries

  Yi-Jun He, Jue Hou, Yi-Chao Liu, Zi-Xi Tan

  SciPost Phys. Core 8, 057 (2025) · published 27 August 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  In integrable spin chains, the spectral problem can be solved by the method of Bethe Ansatz, which transforms the problem of diagonalization of the Hamiltonian into the problem of solving a set of algebraic equations named Bethe equations. In this work, we systematically investigate the spin-$s$ XXX chain with twisted and open boundary conditions using the rational $Q$-system, which is a powerful tool to solve Bethe equations. We establish basic frameworks of the rational $Q$-system and confirm its completeness numerically in both cases. For twisted boundaries, we investigate the polynomiality conditions of the rational $Q$-system and derive physical conditions for singular solutions of Bethe equations. For open boundaries, we uncover novel phenomena such as hidden symmetries and boundary induced strings under specific boundary parameters. Hidden symmetries lead to the appearance of extra degeneracies in the Hilbert space, while the boundary induced string is a novel type of exact string configuration, whose length depends on the boundary magnetic fields. These findings, supported by both analytical and numerical evidences, offer new insights into the interplay between symmetries and boundary conditions.

• Energy exchange and fluctuations between a dissipative qubit and a monitor under continuous measurement and feedback

  Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Yasuhiro Tokura

  SciPost Phys. Core 8, 016 (2025) · published 10 February 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Continuous quantum measurement and feedback induce energy exchange between a dissipative qubit and a monitor even in the steady state, as a measurement backaction. Using the Lindblad equation, we identified the maximum and minimum values of the steady-state energy flow as the measurement and feedback states vary, and we demonstrate the qubit cooling induced by these processes. Turning our attention to quantum trajectories under continuous measurement and feedback, we observe that the energy flow fluctuates around the steady-state values. We reveal that the fluctuations are strongly influenced by the measurement backaction, distinguishing them from the standard Poisson noise typically observed in electronic circuits. Our results offer potential application in the development of quantum refrigerators controlled by continuous measurement and feedback, and provide deep insight into quantum thermodynamics from the perspective of fluctuation.

• Recent results on Central Exclusive Production with the STAR detector

  Rafal Sikora

  SciPost Phys. Proc. 8, 087 (2022) · published 13 July 2022 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We present results on the Central Exclusive Production of charged particle pairs $h^{+}h^{-}$ ($h = \pi, K, p$), $pp\to p^\prime+h^{+}h^{-}+p^\prime$, obtained with the STAR experiment at RHIC in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 200$ GeV. All final-state particles were reconstructed, including forward-scattered protons detected in the Roman Pot system. As a result, the Double Pomeron Exchange (DPE) events were selected and the non-exclusive backgrounds were efficiently rejected. Differential fiducial cross sections were measured as functions of observables related to the central hadronic final state and to the forward-scattered protons. The measured cross sections were compared to phenomenological model predictions based on the DPE. We also present preliminary results on the measurement of the same physics process at higher collision energy $\sqrt{s} = 510$ GeV. The data demonstrate features similar to those observed at $\sqrt{s} = 200$ GeV.

• Dualities between 2+1d fusion surface models from braided fusion categories

  Luisa Eck

  SciPost Phys. 19, 157 (2025) · published 17 December 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  Fusion surface models generalize the concept of anyon chains to 2+1 dimensions, utilizing fusion 2-categories as their input. We investigate bond-algebraic dualities in these systems and show that distinct module tensor categories $\mathcal{M}$ over the same braided fusion category $\mathcal{B}$ give rise to dual lattice models. This extends the 1+1d result that dualities in anyon chains are classified by module categories over fusion categories. We analyze two concrete examples: (i) a $\text{Rep}(S_3)$ model with a constrained Hilbert space, dual to the spin-$\tfrac{1}{2}$ XXZ model on the honeycomb lattice, and (ii) a bilayer Kitaev honeycomb model, dual to a spin-$\tfrac{1}{2}$ model with XXZ and Ising interactions. Unlike regular $\mathcal{M}=\mathcal{B}$ fusion surface models, which conserve only 1-form symmetries, models constructed from $\mathcal{M} ≠ \mathcal{B}$ can exhibit both 1-form and 0-form symmetries, including non-invertible ones.

• Calibrating Comfort in the Care-Control nexus of Humanitarian Borderwork

  Bronte Alexander

  Mig. Pol. 4, 002 (2025) · published 20 May 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  People seeking safety through migration often move through spaces of humanitarian care, including shelters, camps, and transit sites. Despite differences in resources and infrastructure, issues with overcrowding and poor thermal conditions persist globally. These concerns are directly linked to the degree in which comfort is considered in the design of humanitarian and emergency spaces. Drawing on research regarding Brazil’s military-humanitarian response to Venezuelan migration, this paper explores the often-overlooked role of comfort in humanitarian borderwork. By studying the operations and spatialities of two sites that provide care to incoming migrants and refugees, I argue that comfort can be used as a lens to examine the function of care and control in humanitarian borderwork. In doing so, this research highlights how (dis)comfort works through both care and control to (re)produce differential and restrictive mobilities. Challenging the normalisation and invisibilisation of discomfort in displacement contexts reveals the need to further consider the everyday, mundane implications of care.

• Tighter lower bounds on quantum annealing times

  Luis Pedro García-Pintos, Mrunmay Sahasrabudhe, Christian Arenz

  SciPost Phys. 18, 159 (2025) · published 16 May 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  We derive lower bounds on the time needed for a quantum annealer to prepare the ground state of a target Hamiltonian. These bounds do not depend on the annealing schedule and can take the local structure of the Hamiltonian into account. Consequently, the bounds are computable without knowledge of the annealer's dynamics and, in certain cases, scale with the size of the system. We discuss spin systems where the bounds are polynomially tighter than existing bounds, qualitatively capturing the scaling of the exact annealing times as a function of the number of spins.

• The boundary disorder correlation for the Ising model on a cylinder

  Rafael Leon Greenblatt

  SciPost Phys. Core 8, 017 (2025) · published 10 February 2025 | Toggle abstract · pdf

  I give an expression for the correlation function of disorder insertions on the edges of the critical Ising model on a cylinder as a function of the aspect ratio (rescaled in the case of anisotropic couplings). This is obtained from an expression for the finite size scaling term in the free energy on a cylinder in periodic and antiperiodic boundary conditions in terms of Jacobi theta functions.