OpenAccess

We describe the variable flavor number scheme to three-loop order, which modifiesthe massless parton densities by single- and two-mass effects and introduces heavy-quarkparton distribution functions for charm and bottom. A renormalization group analysisshows the validity of this picture at large scales $Q^2$, where it resembles thenon-power-suppressed heavy-flavor corrections completely. [...]

A hot deconfined medium known as the quark-gluon plasma (QGP) is created in collisions of ultrarelativistic heavy nuclei. In these systems, hadron production is strongly modified relative to proton-proton (pp) interactions. [...]

In strongly correlated transition metal dichalcogenides, an intricate interplay of polaronic distortions, stacking arrangement, and electronic correlations determines the nature of the insulating state. Here, we study the response of the electronic structure to optical excitations to reveal the effect of chemical electron doping on this complex interplay. [...]

Using the worldline in-in effective action obtained in [1 ], we derive the total even-in-velocity relative impulse, scattering angle, and time delay at fifth post-Newtonian (5PN) order, including radiation-reaction and hereditary contributions at (G$^{5}$ν$^{2}$) and 𝒪(G$^{6}$ν$^{2}$). We introduce an isotropic-like description which, together with the associated losses of energy and angular momentum, fixes the evolution of the system entirely from scattering data. [...]

Correction to: npj Quantum Materials https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-026-00909-0, published online 13 June 2026

In this paper, we analyze and improve the adversarial robustness of a convolutional neural network (CNN) that assists crystal-collimator alignment at CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) by classifying a beam-loss monitor (BLM) time series during crystal rotation. We formalize a local robustness property for this classifier under an adversarial threat model based on real-world plausibility. [...]

We report the successful resolution of the multiplet structure of $K\alpha_1$x-ray emission in manganese (Mn) complexes through seeded stimulated x-ray emission spectroscopy (seeded S-XES). Using a femtosecond pump pulse above the Mn $K$edge to generate simultaneous 1⁢𝑠core holes, and a second-color tunable seed pulse to initiate the stimulated emission process, we were able to enhance individual lines within the $K\alpha_1$emission. [...]

We employ the joint QED and QCD factorization of deeply inelastic, electron-proton scattering with generic initial state radiation to probe the possibility of exotic particle emission—i.e., of weakly coupled particles originating from a dark or hidden sector—through anomalous energy loss. We leverage this possibility through the consideration of phase-space-limited kinematic regions, for which the emission of an additional, undetected particle can particularly impact the associated cross section. [...]

We introduce a novel method to compute structure constants from Q functions in the scalar sector of planar N=4 super Yang-Mills (SYM) and related theories. The method derives from operatorial as well as functional separation of variables, and the structure constants are expressed as determinants of matrices whose entries are integrals over products of Q functions. [...]

Electroweak triplet Higgs sector extensions are well-motivated scenarios to address lepton flavor observations. These models can also be strongly constrained by combining precise, indirect low-energy measurements with direct searches for exotic, doubly-charged Higgs bosons. [...]