The asymptotic nature of perturbative expansions in quantum field theory can arise from the factorial growth in the number of Feynman diagrams with loop order, as with instantons, or from a series of individual diagrams whose values grow factorially, as with renormalon chains in QED. Other classes of diagrams are known also to grow factorially, such as the Hopf series of graphs in $\phi^3$ theory. This Hopf series was studied using Schwinger-Dyson equations and the Connes-Kreimer Hopf algebra of decorated rooted trees. We review the Hopf algebra approach and show that the same results can be obtained using analytic QFT techniques as with Hopf-algebraic ones. We present an efficient method to extract the asymptotic behavior and thereby generalize the analysis of the Hopf series to other classes of diagrams in other theories. We confront the question of whether these classes correspond to new types of asymptotic growth beyond instantons and renormalons, and find that they appear to be incomplete calculations of what would be renormalons in these theories if all diagrams were included. Although the Hopf algebra approach is not essential to deriving asymptotic behavior from Schwinger-Dyson equations, it does provide some other insights into quantum field theory. We therefore attempt also to provide a map between some relevant aspects of the Hopf algebra and quantum field theory.

We examine the origin of the cosmological collider signal using the framework of open effective field theories. Focusing on the single exchange of a massive scalar field, we demonstrate that the trispectrum splits cleanly into its local and non-local components once the heavy-field propagators are decomposed in the Keldysh basis. Integrating out the massive degree of freedom yields a single-field effective field theory for the light scalar that necessarily contains both unitary operators and non-unitary contributions associated with dissipation and stochastic noise. We show that the leading local signal in parity-preserving theories arises from the unitary part of this effective field theory, whereas the non-local signal is intrinsically associated with its stochastic sector. The effective field theory coefficients themselves are a priori non-analytic in the external kinematics; however, this non-analyticity can be softened when a scale hierarchy - such as the heavy-mass expansion - is imposed, up to spurious contributions that ultimately cancel in observables. Finally, we establish a connection between the cosmological collider signal and entropy production, linking the observable non-local signal to intrinsic properties of the quantum state, including its degree of mixedness.

Following the recent Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) results, we consider hilltop inflation where the inflaton is coupled to a curvaton, simultaneously addressing two main challenges faced by conventional hilltop inflation models: the initial-value problem; and their viability for sub-Planckian field values. In standard single-field hilltop inflation, the inflaton must start extremely close to the maximum of the potential, raising concerns about the naturalness of the initial conditions. We demonstrate that the curvaton field not only solves the initial-value problem, but also opens up parameter space through modifying the curvature perturbation power spectrum, reviving the cubic and quartic hilltop inflation models in the sub-Planckian regime. We find viable parameter space consistent with the recent cosmological observations, and predict a sizable tensor-to-scalar ratio that can be tested in the next-generation Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) experiments.

In this paper, we create a Mellin space method for boundary correlation functions in de Sitter (dS) and anti-de Sitter (AdS) spaces. We demonstrate that the analytic continuation between AdS${}_{d+1}$ and dS${}_{d+1}$ is encoded in a set of simple relative phases using the Mellin-Barnes representation of correlators. It helps us to determine the scalar three-point and four-point functions and their corresponding Mellin-Barnes amplitudes in dS${}_{d+1}$ space using the known results from AdS${}_{d+1}$ space. The Mellin-Barnes representation reveals the analytic structure of boundary correlation functions over all $d$ and scaling dimensions. In the present discussion, the {\it split representation} have been used as an instrumental technique in particularly the evaluation of bulk Witten diagrams and is suitable to obtain the {\it Conformal Partial Wave decomposition} of tree-level exchange in the bulk Witten diagrams. The equivalent adjustment to the cosmological three-point and four-point function of generic external scalars may be further extracted from these results, assuming the weak breakdown of the de Sitter isometries. These findings offer a step towards a more methodical comprehension of de Sitter observables utilising Mellin space techniques at the tree level and beyond.

We explore the signals of a scenario in which the composite states of a strongly coupled hidden sector couple to the Standard Model through the neutrino portal, giving rise to the neutrino masses. We consider a framework in which the hidden sector is conformal in the ultraviolet and the compositeness scale lies below the weak scale. If the lightest composite state in the hidden sector is a scalar, its decay rate back to the Standard Model is suppressed by angular momentum considerations and can naturally be small, giving rise to long-lived particle signals. We determine the current constraints on this class of models and explore the reach of future collider and beam dump searches. We find that FASER, SHiP, and Belle II can potentially probe a significant part of the unexplored parameter space.

We derive a complete expression for the neutrino-mediated quantum force beyond the four-Fermi approximation within the Standard Model. Using this new result, we study the effect of atomic parity violation caused by neutrinos. We find that the neutrino effect is sizable compared to the current experimental sensitivity and can also significantly affect the value of the Weinberg angle measured in atomic systems. This offers a promising method for detecting the neutrino force in the future and facilitates the application of precision atomic physics as a probe for neutrino physics and the electroweak sector of the Standard Model.

We systematically investigate the fundamental oscillation frequencies of dark matter admixed neutron stars, focusing on models with self-interacting fermionic dark matter that couples to normal matter solely through gravity. The analysis is carried out within a two-fluid formalism under the relativistic Cowling approximation, where the perturbation equations follow from the linearized energy-momentum conservation laws of both components. We find that the mass-scaled fundamental frequencies of the nuclear (dark) fluid in dark core (halo) configurations exhibit a remarkably tight correlation with the total stellar compactness. This universality persists across the dark matter parameter space explored in this study and is largely insensitive to the choice of nuclear equation of state. In contrast, we also find the breakdown of such universality with the tidal deformability, i.e, the same frequencies show substantial deviations from universality when expressed in terms of the tidal deformability. These contrasting behaviors highlight possible observational imprints of dark matter in neutron star interiors.

We study the composite models of gravity and investigate how dynamical tensor fields emerge by utilizing the functional Renormalization Group. In this paper, we consider two models: One is the fermionic theory. Another is the scalar theory. In both cases, we introduce an auxiliary tensor field corresponding to a composite field of the energy-momentum tensor by means of the Hubbard-Stratonovich transformation. We derive the flow equations for the field renormalization factors of the auxiliary tensor field and show the tensor field becomes dynamical in the infrared regime. The resulting kinetic terms are interpreted as gauge-fixed terms.

We show that an axionlike particle (ALP) can simultaneously generate the baryon asymmetry and constitute dark matter through dynamics triggered by a first-order electroweak phase transition (EWPT). In our proposal, the transition briefly reshapes the ALP potential via a temperature-dependent vacuum expectation value of a scalar field $S$, responsible for making the EWPT of first order, inducing a transient mass enhancement of ALP via higher-dimensional $U(1)$-breaking operator(s). This sudden kick generates a large ALP velocity near the onset of EWPT enabling the broadening of relic satisfied parameter space and predict a complementary stochastic gravitational-wave signal from the underlying first-order transition. We further show that the same ALP dynamics can naturally fuel electroweak baryogenesis through its coupling to electroweak anomaly.

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 combine the recently introduced Non-Abelian Quasi-Particle Model (NAQPM) for gluons with an ideal Fermi gas of three quark species with the aim to describe the equation of state (energy density vs. temperature) of $2+1$ - flavour Lattice-QCD at zero chemical potential. Allowing temperature dependent masses for the fermions, we show that above a critical temperature $T_c$ the quark mass has to drop rapidly in order to obtain energy density values compatible with the Lattice-QCD results. Within this framework, thus, the restoration of chiral symmetry in the system is observed. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the gluon variance -- which is a fundamental quantity of the NAQPM -- is strongly correlated to the fermion mass and decreases by orders of magnitude through the transition. The high temperature phenomenological characteristics of the gluon appear consistent to properties of the perturbative QCD gluon. The model indicates that color deconfinement and chiral symmetry restoration are interrelated and classical configurations of the QCD dynamics play an important role to the criticality of the system.

Chiral-parity (parity-doublet) effective Lagrangian models provide a compact and symmetry-consistent framework for describing baryons and their negative-parity partners in terms of linearly-realized chiral symmetry. Unlike the conventional, linear, sigma model; the parity-doublet approach accommodates a chirally-invariant mass term, $m_0$, allowing finite baryon-masses even when the chiral condensate melts. This feature enables a unified treatment of hadronic matter across vacuum, nuclear and dense astrophysical regimes. This compact review summarizes the key structures of parity-doublet Lagrangians; outlines the mean-field formulation for nuclear and stellar matter; and highlights recent phenomenological and lattice constraints on the chirally-invariant mass. Emphasis is placed on mirror versus naïve chiral assignments; the role of vector interactions in achieving nuclear saturation; and the implications of parity doubling for the equation-of-state of dense matter and neutron-star cooling. The review concludes with current theoretical challenges and perspectives for extending these models beyond the mean-field approximation.

We consider realizations of a gauged B-L symmetry in the context of the Dark Dimension scenario, where the SM lives on a codimension one brane in 5d spacetime. The B-L can naturally be a bulk gauge symmetery leading to a global symmetry on the SM brane, and have its gauge anomaly canceled by charged bulk modes. This naturally leads to the existence of 3 right-handed neutrinos propagating in the dark dimension. Allowing for Higgsing of B-L by a bulk scalar at the Higgs scale, results in a massive gauge field with $m_{B-L}\sim 100$ GeV and weak coupling $g_{B-L}\sim 10^{-10}$ which is allowed by current bounds. The model also predicts a natural matching $m_\nu\sim m_{KK}\sim\Lambda^{1/4}$, thereby providing a theoretical explanation for the observed coincidence between neutrino masses and the Dark Energy scale. It also predicts a tower of sterile right-handed neutrinos in the $keV$ mass range.

I present a new indirect search for dark matter (DM) using Hydrogen-$\alpha$ (H$\alpha$) recombination emission. DM annihilation or decay products can ionize neutral gas; subsequent recombination cascades generate H$\alpha$ photons through the $3\rightarrow2$ transition. In quiet gas-rich dwarf galaxies, the $n{=}2$ population is negligible, so H$\alpha$ is effectively unabsorbed and traces the DM-energy injection site. Using the non-detection of extended H$\alpha$ emission in the Leo T dwarf galaxy with Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations, I derive the first H$\alpha$-based limits on DM annihilation and decay, reaching leading sensitivity for parts of the eV-GeV mass range. Existing and upcoming telescopes can further extend this reach, establishing H$\alpha$ imaging as a powerful DM search strategy.

By introducing an extra stack of D6-branes to standard ${\cal N}=1$ supersymmetric Pati-Salam models, we extend the landscape of its complete search. In this construction, the $d$-stack of D6-branes is introduced besides the standard $a,~b,~c$-stacks. More intersections from the extra stacks of D6-branes appear, and thus Higgs/Higgs-like particles arise from more origins. Among these models, we find eight new classes of ${\cal N}=1$ supersymmetric Pati-Salam models with gauge symmetries $SU(4)_C\times SU(2)_L\times SU(2)_{R_1}\times SU(2)_{R_2}$ and $SU(4)_C\times SU(2)_{L_1}\times SU(2)_{R}\times SU(2)_{L_2}$, where $d$-stack of D6-branes carries the gauge symmetries $SU(2)_{R_2}$ and $SU(2)_{L_2}$, respectively. The $SU(2)_{L_1/R_1} \times SU(2)_{L_2/R_2}$ can be broken down to the diagonal $SU(2)_{L/R}$ gauge symmetry via bifundamental Higgs fields. In such a way, we for the first time successfully constructed three-family supersymmetric Pati-Salam models from non-rigid D6-branes with extra $d$-stacks of D6-branes as visible sectors. Interestingly, by introducing extra stack of D6-branes to the standard supersymmetric Pati-Salam models, the number of filler brane reduces in general, and eventually the models without any $USp(N)$ gauge symmetry present. This reduces the exotic particles from filler brane intersection yet provides more vector-like particles from ${\cal N}=2$ subsector that are useful in renormalization group equation evolution as an advantage. Moreover, interesting degeneracy behavior with the same gauge coupling ratio exists in certain class of models.

We propose a novel mechanism for the cosmological production of keV - GeV mass dark matter that interacts with the Standard Model through a small effective magnetic dipole moment. Such an interaction can be radiatively generated if dark matter couples to heavier charged particles. Previous studies have focused on the case where these charged states are much heavier than the reheat temperature, such that freeze-in production of dark matter is sensitive to the ultraviolet details of reheating. Here, we instead consider the possibility that these heavy states have masses comparable to the dark matter mass and are charged under a new kinetically-mixed $U(1)'$. As a result, dark matter production is dominated by the infrared freeze-in of the heavy charged states that subsequently thermalize the rest of the dark sector to a temperature much below that of the visible bath. We delineate regions of parameter space consistent with cosmological and astrophysical constraints and identify benchmark scenarios that can guide the next generation of direct detection experiments searching for spin-dependent scattering of sub-GeV dark matter.

We present results on the production of $\pi^{\pm}$, $K^{\pm}$, $p$, and $\bar{p}$ in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}$ = 54.4 GeV using the STAR detector at RHIC, at mid-rapidity (|y| < 0.1). Invariant yields of these particles as a function of transverse momentum are shown. We determine bulk properties such as integrated particle yields ($dN/dy$), mean transverse momentum ($\langle p_{T} \rangle$), particle ratios, which provide insight into the particle production mechanisms. Additionally, the kinetic freeze-out parameters ($T_\text{kin}$ and $\langle \beta_{T} \rangle$), which provide information about the dynamics of the system at the time of freeze-out, are obtained. The Bjorken energy density ($\epsilon_{BJ}$), which gives an estimate of the energy density in the central rapidity region of the collision zone at the formation time $\tau$, is calculated and presented as a function of multiplicity for various energies. The results are compared with those from the models such as A Multi-Phase Transport (AMPT) and Heavy Ion Jet INteraction Generator (HIJING) for further insights.

We investigate quantum corrections to the Randall-Sundrum (RS) model in the near-extremal black brane background with quantum corrections in the near-horizon. The near-horizon geometry is described by Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity, and the quantum fluctuations are governed by the Schwarzian action. We introduce the Schwarzian modes into the RS metric, derive the quantum-corrected equation for the Kaluza-Klein (KK) modes via the Schwinger-Dyson equation, calculate the correction to the KK mass spectrum, and discuss the impact of quantum corrections on the Goldberger-Wise mechanism. Our work introduces both quantum corrections and temperature into the RS model, providing insights into cosmology and phase transitions within it.

In this work, we present a first-principles lattice-QCD calculation of the unpolarized quark PDF for the pion and the kaon. The lattice data rely on matrix elements calculated for boosted mesons coupled to non-local operators containing a Wilson line. The calculations on this lattice ensemble correspond to two degenerate light, a strange, and a charm quark ($N_f=2+1+1$), using maximally twisted mass fermions with a clover term. The lattice volume is $32^3\times 64$, with a lattice spacing of 0.0934 fm, and a pion mass of 260 MeV. Matrix elements are calculated for hadron boosts of $|P_3| = 0,~0.41,~0.83,~1.25,~1.66,$ and 2.07 GeV. To match lattice QCD results to their light-cone counterparts, we employ two complementary frameworks: the large-momentum effective theory (LaMET) and the short-distance factorization (SDF). Using these approaches in parallel, we also test the lattice data to identify methodology-driven systematics. Results are presented for the standard quark PDFs, as well as the valence sector. Beyond obtaining the PDFs, we also explore the possibility of extracting information on SU(3) flavor-symmetry-breaking effects. For LaMET, we also parametrize the momentum dependence to obtain the infinite-momentum PDFs.