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Gomez-Lurbe, R., & Perez, A. (2026). Pauli propagation for imaginary-time evolution. New J. Phys., 28(8), 084517–26pp.
Abstract: We extend the Pauli propagation framework to imaginary-time evolution and introduce imaginary-time Pauli propagation (ITPP), an operator-based algorithm for approximating thermal and ground-state properties directly in the Pauli basis. We derive explicit imaginary-time propagation rules for Pauli strings and analyze the main approximation errors arising from Trotterization and Pauli-space truncation, including bounds that account for the non-unitary nature of the evolution. Benchmarking ITPP on the one-dimensional transverse field Ising model, we find that the method performs best in the high-temperature regime, where thermal states admit a compressed Pauli-basis approximation, while the required number of Pauli terms grows rapidly as the system approaches the ground-state limit. We further compare with tensor network simulations and study finite-temperature scalability through the number of retained Pauli terms required to reach a fixed target accuracy. These results establish ITPP as a complementary framework for imaginary-time simulation and suggest that combining imaginary-time and real-time Pauli propagation could provide a pathway toward simulating more general non-unitary and open quantum system dynamics within a unified Pauli-based framework.
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Hsieh, C. Y., & Gessner, M. (2026). Complete Characterization of State Conversions by Work Extraction. Phys. Rev. Lett., 137(7), 070403–11pp.
Abstract: We introduce a thermodynamic work-extraction task that describes the energy storage enhancement of quantum systems. This task induces majorizationlike conditions that provide a necessary and sufficient characterization of state conversions in general quantum resource theories. When applied to specific resources, these conditions reduce to the majorization conditions under unital channels and provide a thermodynamic version of Nielsen's theorem in entanglement theory. We show how this result establishes the first universal resource certification class based on thermodynamics, and how it can be employed to quantify general quantum resources based on work extraction.
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Ramirez Alfaro, J., Moreno Llacer, M., & Vos, M. (2026). The bottom quark mass at high scale. Eur. Phys. J. Plus, 141(8), 969–5pp.
Abstract: A measurement of the MS & strns; bottom quark mass at the renormalization scale of the Higgs boson mass can be extracted from measurements of Higgs boson decay rates at the LHC. Using the latest ATLAS results, we extract mb(mH)=2.38-0.21+0.24GeV , reaching a precision of 9.5%. This measurement could be further improved at the HL-LHC and future colliders, with potential to become the most precise measurement of mb at any scale. Together with measurements at other energy scales and the predicted mb scale evolution from QCD, mb(mH) demonstrates the “running” of the bottom quark mass.
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Sesana, A., & Figueroa, D. G. (2026). Nanohertz Gravitational Waves. Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys., 64(1), 537–586.
Abstract: Evidence of a gravitational wave (GW) signal has emerged in pulsar timing array (PTA) data, opening a new window into the nanohertz GW Universe. We explore the physics of GW signals that may explain the data, with a focus on GW backgrounds (GWBs) considering both astrophysical and cosmological origins. We describe how: An astrophysical nanohertz GWB emerges as the superposition of individual signals from inspiraling massive black hole binaries. Environment coupling, eccentricity, and sparse sampling cause great uncertainty in the theoretical prediction of the supermassive black hole signal but also offer a way to determine the origin of the signal. PTA data offer unprecedented opportunities to constrain high-energy physics beyond the Standard Model by probing early Universe GWBs that originated during or after inflation. Different early Universe GWBs, typically created by nonlinear and out-of-equilibrium dynamics, can explain the PTA data (e.g., those from inflation scenarios, first-order phase transitions, or topological defects). The PTA detection of GWs opens a new window to explore the Universe, with profound implications for astrophysics and particle physics (probing, e.g., the equation of state of the early Universe, the origin of cosmological perturbations, the nature of dark matter, or whether exotic objects like primordial black holes or cosmic strings exist).
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Alkofer, R., Ferreira, M. N., Miramontes, A. S., Morgado, J. M., & Papavassiliou, J. (2026). Real poles with opposite-sign residues in the non-perturbative quark propagator. Phys. Lett. B, 880, 140856–10pp.
Abstract: We investigate the analytic structure of the quark propagator in the Landau gauge by dynamically coupling the standard gap equation to the non-perturbative quark-gluon vertex. Employing the full vertex basis, we demonstrate that for sub-GeV time-like momenta, the proper inclusion of the underlying dynamics leads to a pair of real poles with opposite-sign residues. In particular, in stark contradistinction to the results obtained in widely used approximations, we see no sign of complex conjugate poles. This distinctive analytic structure evades conceptual shortcomings frequently associated with complex conjugate poles while remaining fully compatible with the aspects of color confinement related to positivity violation. Crucially, this novel behavior is governed by a dominant triplet of vertex form factors: the tree-level component, the anomalous chromomagnetic moment, and a component we label as “spin-momentum curvature”. By gradually tuning the individual strengths of these components, we demonstrate that while they contribute in distinct ways to the quark propagator, their joint action is vital for stabilizing the system. Together, they place the low-lying poles onto the real axis while producing a robust constituent quark mass of 350 MeV.
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