Abstract: Models that produce axionlike particles (ALPs) after cosmological inflation due to spontaneous U(1) symmetry breaking also produce cosmic-string networks. Those axionic strings lose energy through gravitational-wave emission during the whole cosmological history, generating a stochastic background of gravitational waves that spans many decades in frequency. We can therefore constrain the axion decay constant and axion mass from limits on the gravitational-wave spectrum and compatibility with dark matter abundance as well as dark radiation. We derive such limits from analyzing the most recent NANOGrav data from pulsar timing arrays (PTAs). The limits are similar to the Neff bounds on dark radiation for ALP masses ma less than or similar to 10-22 eV. On the other hand, for heavy ALPs with ma greater than or similar to 0.1 GeV and NDW not equal 1, new regions of parameter space can be probed by PTA data due to the dominant domain-wall contribution to the gravitational-wave background.

Abstract: We study the molecular probability of the X(3872) in the D0 over bar D*0 and D+D*- channels in several scenarios. One of them assumes that the state is purely due to a genuine nonmolecular component. However, it gets unavoidably dressed by the meson components to the point that in the limit of zero binding of the D0 over bar D*0 component becomes purely molecular. Yet, the small but finite binding allows for a nonmolecular state when the bare mass of the genuine state approaches the D0 over bar D*0 threshold, but, in this case the system develops a small scattering length and a huge effective range for this channel in flagrant disagreement with present values of these magnitudes. Next we discuss the possibility to have hybrid states stemming from the combined effect of a genuine state and a reasonable direct interaction between the meson components, where we find cases in which the scattering length and effective range are still compatible with data, but even then the molecular probability is as big as 95%. Finally, we perform the calculations when the binding stems purely from the direct interaction between the meson-meson components. In summary we conclude, that while present data definitely rule out the possibility of a dominant nonmolecular component, the precise value of the molecular probability requires a more precise determination of the scattering length and effective range of the D0 over bar D*0 channel, as well as the measurement of these magnitudes for the D+D*- channel which have not been determined experimentally so far.

Abstract: We discuss the modification of the properties of the tetraquark-like Tcc(3875)+ and Tc over bar c over bar (3875)- states in dense nuclear matter. We consider the Tcc+ and Tc over bar c over bar – in vacuum as purely isoscalar D*D and D*D S-wave bound states, respectively, dynamically generated from a heavy-quark effective interaction between the charmed mesons. We compute the D, D, D*, and D* spectral functions embedded in a nuclear medium and use them to determine the corresponding Tcc+ and Tc over bar c over bar – self-energies and spectral functions. We find important modifications of the D*D and D*D scattering amplitudes and of the pole position of these exotic states already for p0/2, with p0 the normal nuclear density. We also discuss the dependence of these results on the D*D (D*D) molecular component in the Tcc+ (Tc over bar c- over bar ) wave function. Owing to the different nature of the D(*)N and D(*)N interactions, we find characteristic changes of the in-medium properties of the Tcc(3875)+ and Tc over bar c over bar (3875)-, which become increasingly visible as the density increases. The experimental confirmation of the found distinctive density pattern will give support to the existence of molecular components in these tetraquark-like states, since in the case they were mostly colorless compact quark structures (cct over bar t over bar and c over bar c over bar tt, with t = u, d), the density behaviors of the Tcc(3875)+ and Tc over bar c over bar (3875)- nuclear medium spectral functions, though different, would not likely be the same as those found in this work for molecular scenarios. Finally, we perform similar analyses for the isoscalar JP = 1+ heavy-quark spin symmetry partners of the Tcc+ (T cc *+ ) and the T c over bar c- over bar (T*- c over bar c over bar ) by considering the D*0D*+ and D*0D*- scattering T matrices.

Abstract: We analyze the correlations functions across the horizon in Hawking black hole radiation to reveal the correlations between Hawking particles and their partners. The effects of the underlying space-time on this are shown in various examples ranging from acoustic black holes to regular black holes.

Abstract: The implementation of the Schwinger mechanism endows gluons with a nonperturbative mass through the formation of special massless poles in the fundamental QCD vertices; due to their longitudinal character, these poles do not cause divergences in on-shell amplitudes, but induce detectable effects in the Green's functions of the theory. Particularly important in this theoretical setup is the three-gluon vertex, whose pole content extends beyond the minimal structure required for the generation of a gluon mass. In the present work we analyze these additional pole patterns by means of two distinct, but ultimately equivalent, methods: the Slavnov-Taylor identity satisfied by the three-gluon vertex, and the nonlinear Schwinger-Dyson equation that governs the dynamical evolution of this vertex. Our analysis reveals that the Slavnov-Taylor identity imposes strict model-independent constraints on the associated residues, preventing them from vanishing. Approximate versions of these constraints are subsequently recovered from the Schwinger-Dyson equation, once the elements responsible for the activation of the Schwinger mechanism have been duly incorporated. The excellent coincidence between the two approaches exposes a profound connection between symmetry and dynamics, and serves as a nontrivial self-consistency test of this particular mass generating scenario.