New one- and two-loop contributions to the lepton's and nucleon's EDM, which are induced by an axion-like particle dark matter background, are examined. These contributions include effects from CP-violating ALP interactions with photons, leptons and nucleons. The contribution to the EDM is so larger it leads to new constraints on the CP violating couplings of axion-like particles, if the axion-like particle mass is smaller than $10^{-11}$ eV.

We present JWST NIRSpec/PRISM IFU time-resolved observations of 2M1207 A and b (TWA 27), a $\sim 10$ Myr binary system consisting of a $\sim 2500$ K sub-stellar primary hosting a $\sim 1300$ K companion. Our data provide 20 time-resolved spectra over an observation spanning 12.56 hours. We provide an empirical characterization for the spectra of both objects across time. For 2M1207 A, non-linear trend models are statistically favored within the ranges 0.6-2.3 $\mu$m and 3.8-5.3 $\mu$m. However, most of the periods constrained from sinusoidal models exceed the observing window, setting a lower limit of 12.56 hours. We find the data at H$\alpha$ and beyond 4.35 $\mu$m show a moderate time correlation, as well as a pair of light curves at 0.73-0.80 $\mu$m and 3.36-3.38 $\mu$m. For 2M1207 b, light curves integrated across 0.86-1.77 $\mu$m and 3.29-4.34 $\mu$m support linear trend models. Following the interpretation of Zhang et. al. (2025), we model the 2M1207 b data with two 1D atmospheric components, both with silicate and iron condensates. The model of time variability as changes to the cloud filling factor shows broad consistency with the variability amplitudes derived from our data. Our amplitudes, however, disagree with the models at $\approx$0.86-1 $\mu$m. While an additional model component such as rainout chemistry may be considered here, our analysis is limited by a low signal-to-noise ratio. Our results demonstrate the capability of JWST to simultaneously monitor the spectral variability of a planetary-mass companion and host at low contrast.

Direct detection of light dark matter (DM) is generally difficult due to its small recoil energy. The inelastic scattering of DM can produce unique signatures in the DM direct detection experiments. Using the low-energy unpaired ionization data from PandaX-4T, we newly analyze the probe of the exothermic inelastic dark matter (ineDM). We demonstrate that PandaX-4T can probe the ineDM mass-splitting down to 0.05 keV and probe the ineDM mass to the sub-GeV range. For the ineDM with a dark photon mediator, we use the PandaX-4T data to impose stringent bounds on the mixing parameter between the dark photon and photon.

Observations of accreting black hole (BH) systems, such as microquasars and supermassive black holes, often reveal a precessing jet with changing directions, indicating a misaligned accretion flow relative to the BH spin. The precession is commonly attributed to the Lense-Thirring (LT) effect, which arises from the BH's rotation twisting the surrounding spacetime and accretion flow. In the strongly magnetized regime, which is preferred accretion flow conditions for M~87$^*$ and likely other jet-producing systems, the large-scale magnetic field can significantly influence the flow dynamics. Here, we perform large-scale three-dimensional general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of tilted accretion onto a rotating BH, and find a never-seen-before new retrograde precession. This precession arises from a magnetic torque on the disk generated by the poloidal magnetic field aligned with the BH's rotation, opposing the LT torque. This finding highlights the unique property of highly magnetized accretion flows around BHs and provides a new interpretation of jet precession observed in many systems.

The population study of stellar-mass black hole (sBH) binaries with ground-based gravitational wave detection has achieved tremendous success in recent years. Future observation of extreme mass-ratio inspirals will similarly require proper population analysis that identify the formation channels, measuring the branch ratio(s) and characterizing major properties within each major channel. In this work, we propose that the measurement of eccentricity, inclination, and component mass provides critical information to distinguish different formation channels and probe detailed formation mechanisms. Focusing on the dry and wet extreme mass-ratio inspirals, we establish the theoretical expectation of these observables in each formation channel. We also discuss how their distributions can be used to probe lifetime and turbulence level of active galactic nuclei disks, accretion patterns of supermassive black holes and population properties of sBHs within nuclear star clusters.

We present the state-of-the-art lattice QCD calculation of the pion and kaon light-cone distribution amplitudes (DAs) using large-momentum effective theory. The calculation is done at three lattice spacings $a\approx\{0.06,0.09,0.12\}$ fm and physical pion and kaon masses, with the meson momenta $P_z = \{1.29,1.72,2.15\}$ GeV. The result is non-perturbatively renormalized in a recently proposed hybrid scheme with self renormalization, and extrapolated to the continuum as well as the infinite momentum limit. We find a significant deviation of the pion and kaon DAs from the asymptotic form, and a large $SU(3)$ flavor breaking effect in the kaon DA.

The quantum geometry of Bloch wavefunctions,encoded in the Berry curvature and quantum metric, is believed to be a decisive ingredient in stabilizing fractional quantum anomalous Hall (FQAH) effect(i.e., fractional Chern insulator, FCI, at zero magnetic field), against competing symmetry-breaking phases.A direct experimental demonstration of quantum geometry-driven switching between distinct correlated topological phases, however, has been lacking. Here, we report experimental evidence of such a switch in a high-quality 3.7 twisted MoTe2 (tMoTe2) device consisting of both A-A bilayer and A-AB trilayer regions. While composite Fermi liquid CFL/FQAH phases are established in A-A tMoTe2,the A-AB region-effectively an A-A moire bilayer proximitized by a remote B layer-develops a series of topological electronic crystal (TEC, also referred to as generalized QAH crystal, QAHC) states with integer quantized Hall conductance at commensurate fractional fillings v=1/2, 2/3, and an incommensurate filling factor v=this http URL electrostatic phase diagram is mapped out by combined transport and optical measurements, showing that these TEC states emerge within the first moir'e valence band prior to any charge transfer to the B layer. Exact diagonalization (ED) incorporating the remote-layer-induced intralayer potential demonstrates a transition from a CFL-like manifold in the A-A limit to a Chern number C=1 ground-state consistent with a TEC at v=1/2 , accompanied by the further breakdown of ideal band geometry. Our results provide experimental evidence of quantum geometry-tuned competition between FQAH/CFL and TEC phases in a moiré Chern band and pave the way for further exploring correlation-driven topological phenomena by tuning quantum geometry.

We investigate the possibility of using the cosmic gravitational focusing (CGF) to probe the minor light dark matter (DM) component whose mass is in the range of $(0.1 \sim 100)$\,eV. Being a purely gravitational effect, the CGF offers a mode-independent probe that is complementary to the existing ways such as Lyman-$\alpha$ and $\Delta N_{\rm eff}$. Such effect finally leads to a dipole density distribution that would affect the galaxy formation and hence can be reconstructed with galaxy surveys such as DESI. Both the free-streaming and clustering limits have been studied with analytical formulas while the region in between is bridged with interpolation. We show the projected sensitivity at DESI with the typical phase space distribution of a freeze-in DM scenario as illustration.

We investigate how inflation can emerge from four-fermion interactions generated by spacetime torsion, eliminating the need for additional scalar fields beyond the Standard Model. We partition fermions in two sectors and introduce two bound fields. In the effective theory approach, once all the fermions have been integrated out, the bound fields serve as the inflaton and the auxiliary field, in analogy to the hybrid inflation and accounting for a waterfall (hybrid) mechanism. The inclusion of an axial chemical potential naturally facilitates the end of reheating. During the waterfall regime, the effective potential governing the fermion condensate supports the formation of non-topological solitons, known as Q-balls, which can be accounted for seeding primordial black holes (PBHs).

The detection of very high-energy gamma-rays from M87 can provide crucial insights into particle acceleration and radiation mechanisms in jets. The recent observations by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) detector extend the energy range of TeV gamma-ray astronomy, and also the variability study to the TeV energy domain. We have modelled the low state and flare state multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions of M87 within a time-dependent framework. In our model, the low state gamma-ray flux results from the emissions from the sub-parsec and the kilo-parsec scale jets of M87, whereas the flare state gamma-ray flux is mainly produced in the sub-parsec scale jet. We have shown that the spectral and temporal features of the TeV gamma-ray spectrum of M87 are consistent with this two-zone model, where the contribution from the sub-parsec scale jet significantly increases during the flare state.

The advent of two-dimensional moiré systems has revolutionized the exploration of phenomena arising from strong correlations and nontrivial band topology. Recently, a moiré superstructure formed by two coexisting charge density wave (CDW) orders with slightly mismatched wavevectors has been realized. These incommensurate CDWs can collectively exhibit commensurability, resulting in the jointly commensurate CDW (JC-CDW). This JC-CDW hosts phenomena including electronic anisotropy and phase-modulated hysteresis, and holds promise for non-volatile optoelectronic memory devices. Realizing such functionality requires understanding how the spatial periodicity, coherence, and amplitude of this order evolve under perturbations. Here, we address these questions using time- and momentum-resolved techniques to probe light-induced dynamics in EuTe$_4$. Our time-resolved diffraction results show that under intense photoexcitation, the JC-CDW wavevector and coherence length remain locked along the CDW direction, indicating preserved moiré periodicity while the moiré potential depth is suppressed. This robustness governs the configuration of the photoexcited JC-CDW and leads to the formation of previously underexplored shear-type topological defects. Furthermore, we developed an approach to simultaneously track the temporal evolution of the amplitude and phase of a CDW by following two diffraction peaks corresponding to one order, with findings verified by time-resolved photoemission and electron diffraction. This methodology enables reconstruction of the momentum- and time-resolved evolution of the JC-CDW and direct visualization of shear-type topological defect formation. These findings not only highlight the unique robustness of JC-CDWs out of equilibrium, but also establish a platform for optical moiré engineering and manipulation of quantum materials through topological defect control.

Recently, LHAASO detected a gamma-ray emission extending beyond $100\,\rm{TeV}$ from 4 sources associated to powerful microquasars. We propose that such sources are the main Galactic PeVatrons and investigate their contribution to the proton and gamma-ray fluxes by modeling their entire population. We find that the presence of only $\sim10$ active powerful microquasars in the Galaxy at any given time is sufficient to account for the proton flux around the knee and to provide a very good explanation of cosmic-ray and gamma-ray data in a self-consistent picture. The $10\,\rm{TeV}$ bump and the $300\,\rm{TeV}$ hardening in the cosmic-ray spectrum naturally appear, and the diffuse background measured by LHAASO above a few tens of $\rm{TeV}$ is accounted for. This supports the paradigm in which cosmic rays around the knee are predominantly accelerated in a very limited number of powerful microquasars.

The unsuppressed CP violation in QCD is a problem in the standard model. If we have some mechanism to guarantee real determinants of the quark mass matrices, the vanishing physical vacuum angle $\bar \theta$ indicates the CP invariance at the fundamental level. Thus, the small ${\bar \theta}$ is technically natural, since we have an enhanced CP symmetry in the limit of the vanishing $\bar \theta =0$. In fact, it was proved that the vacuum angle is never renormalized up to the four-loop level once it is fixed at 0 value at some high energy scale. The purpose of this paper is to construct a model which guarantees the real determinants of the quark mass matrices assuming a non-invertible symmetry.