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108 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Quantum complexity in gravity, quantum field theory, and quantum information science

Quantum complexity quantifies the difficulty of preparing a state or implementing a unitary transformation with limited resources. Applications range from quantum computation to condensed matter physics and quantum gravity. Here, we seek to bridge the approaches of these fields, which define and study complexity using different frameworks and tools. We describe several definitions of complexity, along with their key properties. In quantum information theory, we focus on complexity growth in random quantum circuits. In quantum many-body systems and quantum field theory (QFT), we discuss a geometric definition of complexity in terms of geodesics on the unitary group. In dynamical systems, we explore a definition of complexity in terms of state or operator spreading, as well as concepts from tensor-networks. We also outline applications to simple quantum systems, quantum many-body models, and QFTs including conformal field theories (CFTs). Finally, we explain the proposed relationship between complexity and gravitational observables within the holographic anti-de Sitter (AdS)/CFT correspondence.

Baiguera, Stefano [Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nu↗
DOE OSTI2024

Runaway Gravitational Production of Dark Photons

We demonstrate that gravitational particle production of a massive, Abelian, vector (Proca) field during inflation in the presence of nonminimal coupling to gravity may suffer from an instability which leads to runaway production of high-momentum modes. This is untenable unless there is some mechanism to regulate the runaway. We discuss the parameter space of the particle mass and nonminimal couplings where such a runaway occurs and possible ways to tame the runaway. We find that there is no obvious way to resolve the runaway in a UV completion or with kinetic mixing to the standard model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS2010

Active Galaxy Unification in the Era of X-Ray Polarimetry

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs), Seyfert galaxies, and quasars are powered by luminous accretion and often accompanied by winds that are powerful enough to affect the AGN mass budget, and whose observational appearance bears an imprint of processes that are happening within the central parsec around the black hole (BH). One example of such a wind is the partially ionized gas responsible for X-ray and UV absorption (warm absorbers). Here, we show that such gas will have a distinct signature when viewed in polarized X-rays. Observations of such polarization can test models for the geometry of the flow and the gas responsible for launching and collimating it. We present calculations that show that the polarization depends on the hydrodynamics of the flow, the quantum mechanics of resonance-line scattering, and the transfer of polarized X-ray light in the highly ionized moving gas. The results emphasize the three-dimensional nature of the wind for modeling spectra. We show that the polarization in the 0.1-10 keV energy range is dominated by the effects of resonance lines. We predict a 5%-25% X-ray polarization signature of type-2 objects in this energy range. These results are generalized to flows that originate from a cold torus-like structure, located approximately 1 pc from the BH, which wraps the BH and is ultimately responsible for the apparent dichotomy between type 1 and type 2 AGNs. Such signals will be detectable by future dedicated X-ray polarimetry space missions, such as the NASA Gravity and Extreme Magnetism Small Explorer SMEX, "GEMS" Swank et al. (2008).

Dorodnitsyn, A.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Neutrino Flavor Transformation in Neutron Star Mergers

Here, we present the first numerical relativity simulations including neutrino flavor transformations that could result from flavor instabilities, quantum many-body effects, or potential beyond standard model physics in neutron star mergers. We find that neutrino flavor transformations impact the composition and structure of the remnant, potentially leaving an imprint on the postmerger gravitational-wave signal. They also have a significant impact on the composition and nucleosynthesis yields of the ejecta.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Quantum chaos on edge

Recently, the physics of many-body quantum chaotic systems close to their ground states has come under intensified scrutiny. Such studies are motivated by the emergence of model systems exhibiting chaotic fluctuations throughout the entire spectrum [the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model being a renowned representative] as well as by the physics of holographic principles, which likewise unfold close to ground states. Interpreting the edge of the spectrum as a quantum critical point, here we combine a wide range of analytical and numerical methods to the identification and comprehensive description of two different universality classes: the near edge physics of “sparse” and the near edge of “dense” chaotic systems. The distinction lies in the ratio between the number of a system's random parameters and its Hilbert space dimension, which is exponentially small or algebraically small in the sparse and dense case, respectively. Notable representatives of the two classes are generic chaotic many-body models (sparse) and invariant random matrix ensembles or chaotic gravitational systems (dense). While the two families share identical spectral correlations at energy scales comparable to the level spacing, the density of states and its fluctuations near the edge are different. Considering the SYK model as a representative of the sparse class, we apply a combination of field theory and exact diagonalization to a detailed discussion of its edge spectrum. Conversely, Jackiw-Teitelboim gravity is our reference model for the dense class, where an analysis of the gravitational path integral and random matrix theory reveal universal differences to the sparse class, whose implications for the construction of holographic principles we discuss. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Altland, Alexander (ORCID:0000000229914805)↗
DOE OSTI2025

New physics search at the CEPC: a general perspective

A next generation, high-intensity electron-positron collider “Higgs factory”, such as the Circular Electron-Positron Collider (CEPC), is among the highest priority for the global high energy collider physics community. The CEPC can provide unprecedented opportunities for making fundamental discoveries and providing decisive insights in the quest for a “New Standard Model (SM)” of nature’s fundamental interactions. The CEPC could: 1) Identify the origin of matter, especially the mechanism related to the first-order phase transition in the early Universe, which could produce a detectable gravitational wave signal. 2) Discover dark matter, particularly dark matter particles with a mass between one tenth and 100 times the proton mass. 3) Observe an array of new physics smoking guns, with sensitivities orders of magnitude better than those of existing facilities. The SM of Particle Physics is a triumph of the past half a century, as it predicts and interprets almost all the phenomena observed in experiments from the highest energies with colliders to low energy “tabletop” studies. On the other hand, deep mysteries exist concerning the most fundamental interactions of matter and the space-time fabric of the Universe, including the nature of dark matter, the origin of “visible” matter, the vast hierarchy of elementary particle masses, the quantum nature of gravity, and the mechanism of inflation. These mysteries challenge us to look for “new physics” beyond the SM and General Relativity. Indeed, physicists believe that the SM is simply a low-energy effective theory that reflects aspects of the more profound theory that answers the aforementioned mysteries. Uncovering this “New SM”, the profound theory who supports the SM is the primary mission for particle physics in the post-Higgs boson era.

Ai 艾, Xiaocong 小聪 [Zhengzhou University (China); e↗
NASA NTRS1996

Modeling of micro thrusters for gravity probe B

The concept of testing Einstein's general theory of relativity by means of orbiting gyroscopes was first proposed in 1959, which lead to the development of the Gravity Probe B experiment. Einstein's theory concerns the predictions of the relativistic precession of a gyroscope in orbit around earth. According to his theory, there will be two precessions due to the warping of space-time by the earth's gravitational field: the geodetic precession in the plane of the orbit, and the frame-dragging effect, in the direction of earth rotation. For a polar orbit, these components are orthogonal. In order to simplify the measurement of the precessions, Gravity Probe B (GP-B) will be placed in a circular polar orbit at 650 km, for which the predicted precessions will be 6.6 arcsec/year (geodetic) and 42 milli-arcsec/year (frame-dragging). As the gyroscope precesses, the orientation of its spin-axis will be measured with respect to the line-of-sight to Rigel, a star whose proper motion is known to be within the required accuracy. The line-of-sight to Rigel will be established using a telescope, and the orientation of the gyroscope spin axis will be measured using very sensitive SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) magnetometers. The four gyroscopes will be coated with niobium. Below 2K, the niobium becomes superconducting and a dipole field will be generated which is precisely aligned with the gyroscope spin-axis. The change in orientation of these fields, as well as the spin-axis, is sensed by the SQUID magnetometers. In order to attain the superconducting temperatures for the gyroscopes and the SQUID's, the experiment package will be housed in a dewar filled with liquid helium. The helium flow through a GP-B micro thruster and into a vacuum is investigated using the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo method.

Jones, Kenneth M.↗
DOE OSTI2024

A modified cosmic brane proposal for holographic Renyi entropy

We propose a new formula for computing holographic Renyi entropies in the presence of multiple extremal surfaces. Our proposal is based on computing the wave function in the basis of fixed-area states and assuming a diagonal approximation for the Renyi entropy. For Renyi index n ≥ 1, our proposal agrees with the existing cosmic brane proposal for holographic Renyi entropy. For n < 1, however, our proposal predicts a new phase with leading order (in Newton’s constant G) corrections to the cosmic brane proposal, even far from entanglement phase transitions and when bulk quantum corrections are unimportant. Recast in terms of optimization over fixed-area states, the difference between the two proposals can be understood to come from the order of optimization: for n < 1, the cosmic brane proposal is a minimax prescription whereas our proposal is a maximin prescription. We demonstrate the presence of such leading order corrections using illustrative examples. In particular, our proposal reproduces existing results in the literature for the PSSY model and high-energy eigenstates, providing a universal explanation for previously found leading order corrections to the n < 1 Renyi entropies.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Modular-Invariant Random Matrix Theory and AdS 3 Wormholes

We develop a nonperturbative definition of RMT 2 : a generalization of random matrix theory that is compatible with the symmetries of two-dimensional conformal field theory. Given any random matrix ensemble, its 𝑛-point spectral correlations admit a prescribed modular-invariant lift to RMT 2 , which moreover reduce to the original random matrix correlators in a near-extremal limit. Central to the prescription is a presentation of random matrix theory in Mellin space, which lifts to two dimensions via the SL⁡(2,ℤ) spectral decomposition employed in previous work. As a demonstration we perform the explicit RMT 2 lift of two-point correlations of the GUE Airy model. We propose that in AdS 3 pure gravity, semiclassical amplitudes for off-shell 𝑛-boundary torus wormholes with topology Σ 0,𝑛 × 𝑆 1 are given by the RMT 2 lift of JT gravity wormhole amplitudes. For the three-boundary case, we identify a gravity calculation which matches the RMT 2 result.

conformal field theory↗
DOE OSTI2024

Parametrization of Generalized Parton Distributions from 𝑡-Channel String Exchange in AdS Spaces

We introduce a string-based parametrization for nucleon quark and gluon generalized parton distributions (GPDs) that is valid for all skewness. Our approach leverages conformal moments, representing them as the sum of spin-𝑗 nucleon 𝐴-form factor and skewness-dependent spin-𝑗 nucleon 𝐷-form factor, derived from 𝑡-channel string exchange in AdS spaces consistent with Lorentz invariance and unitarity. This model-independent framework, satisfying the polynomiality condition due to Lorentz invariance, uses Mellin moments from empirical data to estimate these form factors. With just five Regge slope parameters, our method accurately produces various nucleon quark GPD types and symmetric nucleon gluon GPDs through pertinent Mellin-Barnes integrals. Our isovector nucleon quark GPD is in agreement with existing lattice data, promising to improve the empirical extraction and global analysis of nucleon GPDs in exclusive processes, by avoiding the deconvolution problem at any skewness, for the first time.

QCD phenomenology↗
DOE OSTI2025

Neutron stars with exceptionally light QCD axions

We present a comprehensive study of axion condensed neutron stars that arise in models of an exceptionally light axion that couples to quantum chromodynamics (QCD). These axions solve the strong-charge-parity (𝐶⁢𝑃) problem, but have a mass-squared lighter than that due to QCD by a factor of 𝜖 < 1. Inside dense matter, the axion potential is altered, and much of the matter in neutron stars resides in the axion condensed phase where the strong-𝐶⁢𝑃 parameter 𝜃 = 𝜋 and 𝐶⁢𝑃 remains a good symmetry. In these regions, masses and interactions of nucleons are modified, in turn changing the equation of state (EOS), structure, and phenomenology of the neutron stars. We take the first steps toward the study of the EOS of neutron star matter at 𝜃 = 𝜋 within chiral effective field theory and use relativistic mean field theory to deduce the resulting changes to nuclear matter and the neutron star low-density EOS. We derive constraints on the exceptionally light axion parameter space based on observations of the thermal relaxation of accreting neutron stars, isolated neutron star cooling, and pulsar glitches, excluding the region up to 5 ×10 −7 ≲ 𝜖 ≲ 0.2 for 𝑚 𝑎 ≳ 2 × 10 −9 eV. We comment on potential changes to the neutron star mass-radius relationship, and discuss the possibility of novel, nuclear-density compact objects with 𝜃 = 𝜋 that are stabilized not by gravity but by the axion potential.

axions↗
DOE OSTI2025

The gravitational path integral from an observer’s point of view

One of the fundamental problems in quantum gravity is to describe the experience of a gravitating observer in generic spacetimes. In this paper, we develop a framework for describing non-perturbative physics relative to an observer using the gravitational path integral. We apply our proposal to an observer that lives in a closed universe and one that falls behind a black hole horizon. We find that the Hilbert space that describes the experience of the observer is much larger than the Hilbert space in the absence of an observer. In the case of closed universes, the Hilbert space is not one-dimensional, as calculations in the absence of the observer suggest. Rather, its dimension scales exponentially with ${G}_{N}^{-1}$. Similarly, from an observer’s perspective, the dimension of the Hilbert space in a two-sided black hole is increased. We compute various observables probing the experience of a gravitating observer in this Hilbert space. We find that an observer experiences non-trivial physics in the closed universe in contrast to what it would see in a one-dimensional Hilbert space. In the two-sided black hole setting, our proposal implies that non-perturbative corrections to effective field theory for an infalling observer are suppressed until times exponential in the black hole entropy, resolving a recently-raised puzzle in black hole physics. While the framework that we develop is exemplified in the toy-model of JT gravity, most of our analysis can be extended to higher dimensions and, in particular, to generic spacetimes not admitting a conventional holographic description, such as cosmological universes or black hole interiors.

2D gravity↗
DOE OSTI2025

Instant Folded Strings, Dark Energy and a Cyclic Bouncing Universe

We present a wholly self-consistent, complete cyclic bouncing cosmology based on components drawn from string theory and constructed in a way that is under perturbative control throughout (e.g., with temperature much less than the string scale and string coupling $g_s \ll 1$ at all times). The cyclic evolution is governed by standard dilaton-gravity in $(3+1)$-dimensions with a perturbatively generated potential and a coupling between the dilaton and a second field that becomes massless at $ϕ= ϕ_{ESP}$, resulting in an enhanced symmetry point (ESP) that prevents the dilaton from running all the way to zero coupling. A central role is played by instant folded strings (IFSs) - fundamental strings with the unusual property of being much lighter than the string mass while extending far beyond the string length, and violating the Null Energy Condition (NEC). IFSs are produced classically when the string coupling grows with time, which occurs at two critical points in each cycle. In turn, they fulfill a dual function: enabling cosmological bounces and initiating transient epochs of dark-energy domination that naturally transition into slow contraction. The resulting cosmology eliminates the cosmic singularity and multiverse problems of big bang inflationary models and robustly predicts time-varying IFS-induced dark energy and the absence of primordial B-mode polarization in the cosmic microwave background.

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.C↗
DOE OSTI2026

Coarse-grained fixed-point tensor networks and holographic reflected entropy in 3D gravity

We use the framework of fixed-point BCFT tensor networks to present a microscopic CFT derivation of the correspondence between reflected entropy (RE) and entanglement wedge cross section (EW) in AdS 3 /CFT 2 , for both bipartite and multipartite settings. These fixed-point tensor networks, obtained by triangulating Euclidean CFT path integrals, allow us to explicitly construct the canonical purification via cutting-and-gluing CFT path integrals. Employing modular flow in the large-c limit, we demonstrate that these intrinsic CFT manipulations reproduce bulk geometric prescriptions, without assuming the AdS/CFT dictionary. The emergence of bulk geometry is traced to coarse-graining over heavy states in the large-c limit. Universal coarse-grained BCFT data for compact 2D CFTs, through the relation to Liouville theory with ZZ boundary conditions, yields hyperbolic geometry on the Cauchy slice. The corresponding averaged replica partition functions reproduce all candidate EWs, arising from different averaging patterns, with the dominant one providing the correct RE and EW. In this way, many heuristic tensor-network intuitions in toy models are made precise and established directly from intrinsic CFT data.

AdS-CFT correspondence↗
NASA NTRS2010

NASA Tech Briefs, May 2010

Topics covered include: Instrument for Analysis of Greenland's Glacier Mills Cryogenic Moisture Apparatus; A Transportable Gravity Gradiometer Based on Atom Interferometry; Three Methods of Detection of Hydrazines; Crossed, Small-Deflection Energy Analyzer for Wind/Temperature Spectrometer; Wavefront Correction for Large, Flexible Antenna Reflector; Novel Micro Strip-to-Waveguide Feed Employing a Double-Y Junction; Thin-Film Ferro Electric-Coupled Microstripline Phase Shifters With Reduced Device Hysteresis; Two-Stage, 90-GHz, Low-Noise Amplifier; A 311-GHz Fundamental Oscillator Using InP HBT Technology; FPGA Coprocessor Design for an Onboard Multi-Angle Spectro-Polarimetric Imager; Serrating Nozzle Surfaces for Complete Transfer of Droplets; Turbomolecular Pumps for Holding Gases in Open Containers; Triaxial Swirl Injector Element for Liquid-Fueled Engines; Integrated Budget Office Toolbox; PLOT3D Export Tool for Tecplot; Math Description Engine Software Development Kit; Astronaut Office Scheduling System Software; ISS Solar Array Management; Probabilistic Structural Analysis Program; SPOT Program; Integrated Hybrid System Architecture for Risk Analysis; System for Packaging Planetary Samples for Return to Earth; Offset Compound Gear Drive; Low-Dead-Volume Inlet for Vacuum Chamber; Simple Check Valves for Microfluidic Devices; A Capillary-Based Static Phase Separator for Highly Variable Wetting Conditions; Gimballing Spacecraft Thruster; Finned Carbon-Carbon Heat Pipe with Potassium Working Fluid; Lightweight Heat Pipes Made from Magnesium; Ceramic Rail-Race Ball Bearings; Improved OTEC System for a Submarine Robot; Reflector Surface Error Compensation in Dual-Reflector Antennas; Enriched Storable Oxidizers for Rocket Engines; Planar Submillimeter-Wave Mixer Technology with Integrated Antenna; Widely Tunable Mode-Hop-Free External-Cavity Quantum Cascade Laser; Non-Geiger-Mode Single-Photon Avalanche Detector with Low Excess Noise; Using Whispering-Gallery-Mode Resonators for Refractometry; RF Device for Acquiring Images of the Human Body; Reactive Collision Avoidance Algorithm; Fast Solution in Sparse LDA for Binary Classification; Modeling Common-Sense Decisions in Artificial Intelligence; Graph-Based Path-Planning for Titan Balloons; Nanolaminate Membranes as Cylindrical Telescope Reflectors; Air-Sea Spray Airborne Radar Profiler Characterizes Energy Fluxes in Hurricanes; Large Telescope Segmented Primary Mirror Alignment; and Simplified Night Sky Display System.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2026

Living on the edge: a non-perturbative resolution to the negativity of bulk entropies

Lin, Maldacena, Rozenberg, and Shan (LMRS) presented a new information paradox in black hole physics by noticing that the entanglement and Rényi entropies in a two-sided black hole can become negative when the geometry contains a very large number of matter excitations behind the black hole horizon. While originally this puzzle was presented in the context of BPS two-sided black holes in two-dimensional supergravity, the negativity in fact persists for more general two-sided black holes in the presence of a large number of matter excitations. Since the entanglement and Rényi entropies in ordinary quantum systems cannot be negative, resolving this puzzle is a necessary step towards understanding the quantum mechanical description of black holes. In this paper, we explain how to address the entanglement negativity puzzle, both in the original setting discussed by LMRS and in more general non-supersymmetric settings, by summing over all non-perturbative contributions to the gravitational path integral. We then interpret this result from the point of view of a dual matrix integral, which we use to extend our analysis beyond the regime of validity of the genus re-summation performed in the gravitational path integral. In this regime, positivity is rescued by new saddles of the matrix integral, a one-eigenvalue instanton and a two-eigenvalue instanton. Finally, we formulate a similar puzzle and its resolution using random tensor network techniques.

2D Gravity↗
DOE OSTI2024

Massive twistor worldline in electromagnetic fields

We study the (ambi-)twistor model for spinning particles interacting via electromagnetic field, as a toy model for studying classical dynamics of gravitating bodies including effects of both spins to all orders. We compute the momentum kick and spin kick up to one-loop order and show precisely how they are encoded in the classical eikonal. The all-orders-in-spin effects are encoded as a dynamical implementation of the Newman-Janis shift, and we find that the expansion in both spins can be resummed to simple expressions in special kinematic configurations, at least up to one-loop order. We confirm that the classical eikonal can be understood as the generator of canonical transformations that map the in-states of a scattering process to the out-states. We also remark that cut contributions for converting worldline propagators from time-symmetric to retarded amount to the iterated action of the leading eikonal at one-loop order.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2025

Fuzzy spheres in stringy matrix models: quantifying chaos in a mixed phase space

We consider a truncation of the BMN matrix model to a configuration of two fuzzy spheres, described by two coupled non-linear oscillators dependent on the mass parameter μ. The classical phase diagram of the system generically (μ ≠ 0) contains three equilibrium points: two centers and a center-saddle; as μ → 0 the system exhibits a pitchfork bifurcation. We demonstrate that the system is exactly integrable in quadratures for μ = 0, while for very large values of μ, it approaches another integrable point characterized by two harmonic oscillators. The classical phase space is mixed, containing both integrable islands and chaotic regions, as evidenced by the classical Lyapunov spectrum. At the quantum level, we explore indicators of early and late time chaos. The eigenvalue spacing is best described by a Brody distribution, which interpolates between Poisson and Wigner distributions; it dovetails, at the quantum level, the classical results and reemphasizes the notion that the quantum system is mixed. We also study the spectral form factor and the quantum Lyapunov exponent, as defined by out-of-time-ordered correlators. These two indicators of quantum chaos exhibit weak correlations with the Brody distribution. We speculate that the behavior of the system as μ → 0 dominates the spectral form factor and the quantum Lyapunov exponent, making these indicators of quantum chaos less effective in the context of a mixed phase space.

AdS-CFT correspondence↗