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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Reflections on Noether’s second theorem and the energy-momentum tensor

Through symmetry of the action under global spacetime translations, Noether’s first theorem infamously entails an energy-momentum tensor (EMT) that is neither symmetric nor gauge-invariant. In a prior work [Phys. Rev. D 106, 125012 (2022)], I had obtained a symmetric and gauge-invariant EMT by using Noether’s second theorem instead, with local spacetime translations as the symmetry group. However, the derivation therein was flawed, containing a faulty assumption about the transformation rule for spinor fields. In this work, I revisit the derivation of the previous work, both correcting the faulty step and simplifying the derivation for broader accessibility. The end result is an EMT for quantum chromodynamics that is gauge-invariant, but not symmetric.

Quantum chromodynamics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Bottomonium suppression from the three-loop QCD potential

We compute the suppression of bottomonium in the quark-gluon plasma using the three-loop QCD static potential. The potential describes the spin-averaged bottomonium spectrum below threshold with a less than 1% error. Within potential nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics and an open quantum systems framework, we compute the evolution of the bottomonium density matrix. The values of the quarkonium transport coefficients are obtained from lattice QCD measurements of the bottomonium in-medium width and thermal mass shift; we additionally include for the first time a vacuum contribution to the dispersive coefficient γ . Using the three-loop potential and the values of the heavy quarkonium transport coefficients, we find that the resulting bottomonium nuclear modification factor is consistent with experimental observations, while at the same time reproducing the lattice measurements of the in-medium width. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Entanglement, trace anomaly, and confinement in QCD

We formulate confinement in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) as an entropic surface phenomenon. Quark and gluon quantum information is localized on a transverse, entangling two-sphere of radius 𝑅 𝐸⁢𝐸 ; at this radius the QCD vacuum—partitioned by a hadron into interior and exterior regions—reaches its maximal entanglement entropy. Lattice-QCD determinations of the scalar (trace) gravitational form factors fix both 𝑅 𝐸⁢𝐸 and the transverse trace-anomaly density 𝜌 ℎ ⁡(𝑅 𝐸⁢𝐸 ), yielding a parameter-free slope 𝑐 ℎ = 8⁢𝜋 2 ⁢𝑅𝑆$^2_{𝐸⁢𝐸}$𝜌 ℎ ⁡(𝑅 𝐸⁢𝐸 ) and a mechanical entropy 𝑆 𝐸⁢𝐸 ⁡(𝑦) = 𝑐 ℎ ⁢𝑦 that grows linearly with rapidity 𝑦. The entropy gradient ∂ 𝑅 𝑆 𝐸⁢𝐸 changes sign at 𝑅 𝐸⁢𝐸 : it pushes colored degrees of freedom outward for 𝑟 <𝑅 𝐸⁢𝐸 and pulls them inward for 𝑟 >𝑅 𝐸⁢𝐸 , thereby localizing them on the codimension-2 entangling two-sphere Σ ⊥ = 𝑆$^2_{𝑅_{𝐸⁢𝐸}}$ (which, in the infinite-momentum frame (IMF), projects onto the transverse plane)—the “information wall.” This provides a high-energy (large-𝑦) entropic confinement diagnostic that complements—rather than replaces—Wilson’s area-law criterion, which probes long-distance dynamics near the rest frame (𝑦 → 0). Imposing unitarity on an entropic ansatz for the amplitude yields 𝜎⁡(𝑠) ∝ 𝑦 𝛿 . World data favor 𝛿 = 2 for elastic 𝑝⁡𝑝⁡($𝑝\bar{⁡𝑝}$) scattering and heavy-quark photoproduction, whereas 𝜙 photoproduction favors a softer 𝛿 = 0.387. All extracted cross sections remain well below the Froissart-Martin bound. These results provide a confinement criterion quantified directly from nonperturbative QCD inputs, unifying the trace anomaly, entanglement entropy, and high-energy scattering within a single quantitative framework.

Color confinement↗
DOE OSTI2026

Baryon-baryon, meson-meson, and meson-baryon interactions in nonrelativistic QCD

Van der Waals potentials describing interactions between color-singlet mesons and/or baryons vanish at leading order in potential nonrelativistic quantum chromodynamics (pNRQCD). This result and constraints from Gauss’s law are used to prove that weakly coupled pNRQCD van der Waals potentials in generic non-Abelian gauge theories with only heavy quarks are too weak to form bound states whose color state is a product of color singlets. Quantum Monte Carlo calculations of four, five, and six quarks with equal masses provide numerical evidence that exotic color configurations are higher energy than products of color-singlet hadrons, suggesting that equal-mass fully heavy tetraquark, pentaquark, and hexaquark bound states do not exist at next-to-leading order in pNRQCD and at all orders in QCD-like theories in which all quark masses are asymptotically large. Mechanisms for generating hadron-hadron bound states are identified, which necessarily involve large quark-mass hierarchies, relativistic effects arising from the presence of sufficiently light quarks, or nonperturbative effects outside the scope of weakly coupled pNRQCD.

Effective field theory↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bottomonium properties in the quark-gluon plasma from a lattice-QCD informed 𝑇-matrix approach

Recent computations of bottomonium correlation functions with extended sources in lattice-discretized quantum chromodynamics (lQCD) provide new insights into heavy-quark dynamics at distance scales which are of the order of the inverse temperature. We analyze these results employing the thermodynamic 𝑇-matrix framework, in a continued effort to interpret lQCD data for quarkonium correlation functions in a nonperturbative and self-consistently solved quantum-many-body approach to a strongly coupled quark-gluon plasma (QGP). Its key inputs are the in-medium driving kernel (potential) of the scattering equation and an interference function which implements 3-body effects in the quarkonium coupling to the thermal medium. A simultaneous description of lQCD results for the bottomonium correlators with extended operators and the previously analyzed Wilson line correlators only requires minor refinements of the potential but calls for stronger interference effects at larger separation of the bottom quark and antiquark. We then analyze the poles of the self-consistent 𝑇 matrices on the real axis to assess the survival of the various bound states. Here, we estimate the pertinent temperatures where the poles disappear for the various bottomonium states and discuss the relation to the corresponding peaks in the bottomonium spectral functions. We also recalculate the spatial diffusion coefficient of the QGP and find it to be similar to that in our previous study.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Toward a microscopic picture of hadronization and multi-parton processes

This project advanced the understanding of how quarks and gluons produced in high-energy collisions transform into the hadrons observed in particle detectors, a fundamental process known as quantum chromodynamics (QCD) hadronization. By combining theoretical calculations, quantum simulation methods, and modern AI techniques, the research developed new tools to study multi-parton dynamics and nonperturbative effects that are essential for interpreting data from current and future nuclear physics experiments. Key outcomes include new theoretical frameworks for jet and hadron measurements, pioneering quantum simulation algorithms for real-time dynamics in field theories, and the development of advanced machine-learning models, such as diffusion models and explainable classifiers, to simulate and analyze collider events. These results are directly relevant to experiments at Jefferson Lab, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the future Electron-Ion Collider, and they also have a broader impact in areas such as quantum information science and data-driven modeling of complex systems. The project supported the training of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and contributed to the broader scientific community through publications, workshops, and collaborative activities. Overall, this work provides new insights into the microscopic mechanisms of hadron formation and establishes a foundation for future studies at the intersection of nuclear physics, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Emergence of the polydeterminant in QCD

A generalization of the determinant appears in particle physics in effective Lagrangian interaction terms that model the chiral anomaly in quantum chromodynamics (Giacosa et al. in Phys Rev D 97(9):091901, 2018, Phys Rev D 109(7):L071502, 2024), in particular in connection to mesons. This polydeterminant function, known in the mathematical literature as a mixed discriminant, associates N distinct N x N complex matrices into a complex number and reduces to the usual determinant when all matrices are taken as equal. Here, we explore the main properties of the polydeterminant applied to (quantum) fields by using a formalism and a language close to high-energy physics approaches. We discuss its use as a tool to write down novel chiral anomalous Lagrangian terms and present an explicit illustrative model for mesons. Finally, the extension of the polydeterminant as a function of tensors is shown.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nucleon tensor form factors at large N c

We investigate nucleon tensor form factors in the large- N c limit. In this picture, the nucleon emerges as a state of the N c valence quarks, which were bound by pion mean fields that were created by the presence of the valence quarks self-consistently. We find that the tensor charge ( g T u − d = 0.99 ) and the anomalous tensor magnetic moment ( κ T u + d = 7.61 ) are dominated by valence quarks, while the tensor quadrupole moment ( Q T u − d = − 7.02 ) shows significant sea quark effects. We examine how these quantities vary as the average size of the pion mean field is changed, showing interpolation between nonrelativistic quark and Skyrme limits. We also observe that g T u − d and κ T u + d depend weakly on the pion mass. In contrast, Q T u − d exhibits strong enhancement near the chiral limit. The numerical results are in good agreement with available lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) data and provide predictions for unmeasured quantities. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Four-dimensional QCD equation of state with multiple chemical potentials

Here, we construct a four-dimensional version of the equation of state (EoS) model neos, neos-4d, as a function of the temperature and chemical potentials of baryon, electric charge, and strangeness for the hot and dense quantum chromodynamics (QCD) matter created in relativistic nuclear collisions. This EoS enables multiple conserved charge current evolution in a relativistic fluid. Input from lattice QCD simulations and a hadron resonance gas model is considered for constructing the equation of state. We investigate its applicability to the relativistic hydrodynamic description of nuclear collisions and present a method for efficient numerical implementation.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Conformal collider physics meets LHC data

The remarkably high energies of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have allowed for the first measurements of the shapes and scalings of multipoint correlators of energy flow operators, ⟨ Ψ | E ( n → 1 ) E ( n → 2 ) ⋯ E ( n → k ) | Ψ ⟩ , providing new insights into the Lorentzian dynamics of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). In this letter, we use recent advances in effective field theory to derive a rigorous factorization theorem for the light-ray density matrix, ρ = | Ψ ⟩ ⟨ Ψ | , inside high transverse momentum jets at the LHC. Using the light-ray operator product expansion, the scaling behavior of multipoint correlators can be computed from the expectation value of the twist-2 spin- J light-ray operators, O [ J ] , in this state, Tr [ ρ O [ J ] ] . We compute the light-ray density matrix at next-to-leading order, and combine this with results for the next-to-leading logarithmic scaling behavior of the correlators up to six-points, comparing with CMS open data. This theoretical accuracy allows us to resolve the quantum scaling dimensions of QCD light-ray operators inside jets at the LHC. Our factorization theorem for the light-ray density matrix at the LHC completes the link between recent developments in the study of energy correlators and LHC phenomenology, opening the door to a wide variety of precision jet substructure studies. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Single-valued representation of unpolarized and polarized semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering at next-to-next-to-leading order

We revisit the recently published analytic results for unpolarized and polarized semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering (SIDIS) at next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in quantum chromodynamics (QCD). These expressions for the hard scattering coefficients contain case distinctions in the kinematic (𝑥,𝑧)-plane, splitting the analytic result into four regions. By reexpressing the coefficient functions in terms of single-valued polylogarithms, we remove these case distinctions and can present a unified result valid across the entire kinematic range of SIDIS. This reduces the length of the overall expressions by 30% to 60%.

Deep inelastic scattering↗
DOE OSTI2024

Chiral properties of the nucleon interpolating current and θ-dependent observables

We revisit the chiral properties of nucleon interpolating currents, and show that of the two leading order currents j 1 and j 2 , only two linear combinations j 1 ± j 2 transform covariantly under the anomalous U⁢(1) A symmetry. As a result, calculations of quantities which vanish by symmetry in the chiral limit may produce unphysical results if carried out with different linear combinations of the currents. This includes observables such as electric dipole moments, induced by the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) parameter θ, and the θ-dependence of the nucleon mass. For completeness, we also exhibit the leading order results for nucleon electric dipole moments (d n,p ) induced by θ, and the nucleon magnetic moments (μ n,p ), when calculated using QCD sum rules for both the covariant choices of the nucleon interpolating current. The results in each channel, conveniently expressed as the ratios, d n,p /μ n,p , are numerically consistent, and reflect the required physical dependence on θ.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Seeing through the nucleus: A review of color transparency phenomena

In this work, we review the current status of the phenomenon of color transparency (CT), a fundamental consequence of the description of hadrons from quantum chromodynamics. CT refers to the vanishing of final (and/or initial) state interactions with the nuclear medium for exclusive process at sufficiently high enough momentum transfers. We discuss the current experimental observations relating to CT and their theoretical implications for other high energy processes. Future CT experiments and facilities are also described.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

JIMWLK on a quantum computer

We propose a method for solving the Jalilian-Marian-Iancu-McLerran-Weigert-Leonidov-Kovner (JIMWLK) evolution equation on quantum computers. Our approach exploits the reformulation of the JIMWLK equation as a Lindblad master equation governing the rapidity evolution of the hadronic density matrix, as established in prior work. To render the problem tractable for quantum simulation, we introduce several approximations: the two-dimensional transverse plane is reduced to a one-dimensional radial lattice by assuming azimuthal symmetry of the jump operators; the gauge group is restricted to SU(2); and the infinite Wilson lines of the JIMWLK equation are replaced by finite Wilson links along the light-cone direction. The resulting bosonic Hilbert space is truncated using the electric field basis familiar from Hamiltonian lattice gauge theory, with states restricted to angular momenta 𝑗 ≤ 𝑗 max . We derive the matrix elements of the JIMWLK Lindblad jump operators in this basis. As a benchmark, we demonstrate rapid convergence of the fundamental dipole expectation value with 𝑗 max for both pure and mixed Gaussian initial density matrices. For the simplest truncation, 𝑗 max =1/2, we implement the Lindblad evolution using a quantum simulation algorithm verified with the Qiskit statevector simulator by decomposing the non-unitary evolution operator into a linear combination of unitaries. This work establishes a concrete pathway toward quantum simulation of high-energy quantum chromodynamics evolution equations, with direct relevance to the physics program of the Electron-Ion Collider.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Systematic uncertainties from higher-twist corrections in DIS at large x

We investigate the systematic uncertainties and potential biases arising from the inclusion of large- x corrections to proton and deuteron deep inelastic scattering (DIS) data in global quantum chromodynamics (QCD) analyses. Using the CTEQ-JLab framework, we examine various approaches to implementing higher-twist corrections in nucleon structure functions and off-shell PDF modifications in deuteron targets. We analyze how these components interact and influence the determination of the d -quark PDF and the neutron structure function at large x . We find that it is very important to consider isospin-dependent higher-twist corrections in order to minimize implementation biases in the extracted quantities. Published by the American Physical Society 2025

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Collins-Soper kernel in the QCD instanton vacuum

We outline a general framework for evaluating the nonperturbative soft functions in the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) instanton vacuum. In particular, from the soft function we derive the Collins-Soper (CS) kernel, which drives the rapidity evolution of the transverse-momentum-dependent parton distributions. The resulting CS kernel, when supplemented with the perturbative contribution, agrees well with recent lattice results and some phenomenological parametrizations. Moreover, our CS kernel depends logarithmically on the large quark transverse separation, providing a key constraint on its phenomenological parametrization. Finally, a lattice calculation can be directly compared to our generic results in Euclidean signature, thus providing a new approach for evalulating the soft function and extracting the CS kernel by analytical continuation.

QCD phenomenology↗
DOE OSTI2025

Nonlocal nucleon matrix elements in the rest frame

Extracting parton structure from lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) calculations requires studying the coordinate scale 𝑧 3 dependence of the matrix elements of bilocal operators. The most significant contribution comes from the 𝑧 3 dependence induced by ultraviolet (UV) renormalization of the Wilson line. We demonstrate that the next-to-leading order perturbative calculations of the renormalization factor can describe, to a few percent accuracy, the logarithm of the lattice QCD rest frame matrix elements with separations up to distances of 0.6 fm on multiple lattice spacings. The residual discrepancies can be modeled by a leading effect from the structure of the nucleon.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2026

Locating the QCD critical point through contours of constant entropy density

We propose a new method to investigate the existence and location of the conjectured high-temperature critical point of strongly interacting matter via contours of constant entropy density. By approximating these lines as a power series in the baryon chemical potential 𝜇 𝐵 , one can extrapolate them from first-principle results at zero net-baryon density, and use them to locate the quantum chromodynamics (QCD) critical point, including the associated first-order and spinodal lines. As a proof of principle, we employ currently available continuum-extrapolated lattice data from the Wuppertal-Budapest collaboration to find a critical point at a temperature and a baryon chemical potential of 𝑇 𝑐 = 114.3 ± 6.9 MeV and 𝜇 𝐵,𝑐 = 602.1 ± 62.1 MeV, respectively, at expansion order 𝒪⁡(𝜇$^{2}_{𝐵}$). We advocate for a more precise determination of the required expansion coefficients via lattice QCD simulations as a means of pinpointing the location of the critical endpoint in the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗