Magnetic fields are a fundamental component of galaxy clusters, regulating cosmic-ray transport, plasma thermodynamics, and the dynamics of the intracluster medium. Yet their origin, amplification, and three-dimensional structure remain poorly understood, in large part because traditional probes such as synchrotron polarization and Faraday rotation provide only limited, 2D information. A...
We explore an integrable deformation of the spin-1/2 Heisenberg spin chain by leveraging its inherent conserved quantities. Starting with the isotropic (XXX) model, we identify the scalar chirality operator as one of its higher conserved charges. This operator, which breaks both time-reversal and parity symmetries, serves as the deformation term. Adding this chiral term to the Hamiltonian...
Recent observations of the Sunburst Arc galaxy have uncovered the presence of young ($\sim 2-4\,\rm Myr$), massive ($M_\star \sim 10^7\,\rm M_\odot$), and compact ($R_{\rm eff} \sim 8\,\rm pc$) super star clusters. These clusters are characterized by high-pressure, low-metallicity gas ($0.2\,Z_\odot$) with an anomalously elevated nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio $\log ({\rm N/O}) \geq -0.5$, deviating...
Excitons - quasiparticles formed by coulomb-bounded electron-hole pairs, play a critical role in the optical response of 2D semiconductors. In monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (TMDCs) – prototypical 2D semiconductors, the interplay of spin and valley degrees of freedom gives rise to a complex excitonic landscape with significant contributions from the dark excitons which are hidden...
Extreme precision radial velocity (EPRV) measurements, capable of capturing signals with a semi-major amplitude of just 10-30 cm/s, are needed to needed to uncover low-mass planets, inform planet formation scenarios, and reveal atmospheric composition. Achieving this level of precision spectroscopy requires innovation at all levels, from the instrumentation to the extraction software to the...
The Gamma-Ray and AntiMatter Survey (GRAMS) is a next-generation experiment using a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) detector to detect gamma rays and antiparticles. Gamma-ray surveys are important for understanding multi-messenger and time-domain astronomy, enabling exploration of the universe's most potent events, such as supernovae and neutron star mergers etc. Despite the...
The spin Hall effect (SHE) allows efficient generation of spin polarization or spin current through charge current and plays a crucial role in the development of spintronics. While SHE typically occurs in non-magnetic materials and is time-reversal even, exploring time-reversal-odd (T-odd) SHE, which couples SHE to magnetization in ferromagnetic materials, offers a new charge-spin conversion...
The indirect detection of axions can enable us to probe axion parameters with various astrophysical and cosmological observations. In this talk, I will discuss new dynamics and phenomena that are unique to axions, such as the formation of axion miniclusters and axion stars. Then I will introduce some new ideas on testing these new phenomena, which can enhance the sensitivity and motivate more...
QCD axion can explain the strong CP problem and dark matter (DM) simultaneously. If the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) symmetry is spontaneously broken after inflation, string-wall network would dominate the energy density in the Universe. In this talk, we consider a mixing coupling of the PQ scalar with a light scalar field which induces an extra axion potential. When the PQ scalar is mixed nonlinearly,...
Twisted trilayer (Tt) transition metal dichalcogenides with their multiple rotational degrees of freedom offer unprecedented opportunities for the formation of large-wavelength moiré superlattices to maximize the effect of correlated behaviors. However, precisely stacking trilayer structures to realize ultra-large-wavelength moiré superlattices with a deep moiré potential remains a significant...
The enormous gravitational binding energy rapidly released in compact binary mergers and the collapse of massive stars can power the most luminous transients in the Universe. In the past decade, multi-messenger observations of these violent events have shed light on the nature of plasma at very high densities and the origin of heavy elements. At the same time, the improvement of computational...
The next generation of neutrino experiments presents unprecedented opportunities to address key questions in particle physics and astrophysics. This talk will summarise recent contributions made in two flagship international experiments: JUNO, a 20,000-ton liquid scintillator detector that has recently entered full data-taking in China, and TRIDENT, a next-generation deep-sea Cherenkov...
Superconducting microwave resonators, developed extensively in the context of Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KIDs), have great potential in astronomical detection due to their multiplexibility, high sensitivity, and ultra-low-noise performance. These detectors rely on sharp resonance curves characterized by high-quality factors (Q factors), which are critical for precise signal readout....
Binary neutron star mergers serve as unique laboratories for studying dense matter and gravity, from finite-size interactions during the late inspiral to the complex dynamics of the post-merger phase. In this talk, I will first discuss the dynamical tides of neutron stars, investigating the roles of compositional stratification, solid components, and possible QCD phase transitions. I examine...
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a next-generation experiment designed to achieve unprecedented precision in the study of neutrino flavour oscillations. To minimize systematic uncertainties associated with neutrino flux predictions and interaction cross-sections, DUNE will utilize a sophisticated near detector (ND) complex. Among its three ND subsystems, the System for...
We propose an interacting many-body spin model with nearest-neighbor and next-nearest neighbor couplings, where the two lowest eigenstates form a qubit manifold that is protected by symmetry from both relaxation and dephasing caused by local perturbations. We map the spin model to a superconducting circuit and show that such a circuit can reach coherence times exceeding several milliseconds in...
The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory, with the world's largest liquid scintillator detector, has recently completed the detector construction and started data taking. The main purpose of the experiment is to determine the neutrino mass ordering and perform a precision measurement of the neutrino oscillation parameters. Muon secondary particles play an important role in data analysis....
The spectra of high-redshift (z ~ 6) quasars reveal numerous metal absorption lines, yet it remains unclear how early galaxies transported heavy elements from compact star-forming regions into their large-scale (~100 kpc) gaseous environments. What are the origins of these early metals? How did they reach their observed locations? And what role did they play in cosmic reionization?
In this...
Giant planets play a crucial role in shaping planetary systems. When formed early, they can dynamically organize surrounding planetesimals, inducing apsidal alignment that suppresses random velocities—even if eccentricities are excited—thereby promoting the growth of inner rocky planets. Under such conditions, giant planets may support, rather than hinder, terrestrial planet...
We consider a general microscopic model describing a square (rectangular after distortion) lattice with nearest-neighbor interaction potential. We study the stress-induced splitting between $U(1)$ and $\mathbb{Z}_2$ superconducting critical temperatures. We find that broken time-reversal symmetry (BTRS) $s+id$ state generally has decreasing critical temperature under strain. However, in some...
A probability distribution function is first and foremost a model for a real configuration of particles (stars, electrons, etc). On the other hand, statistical mechanics is a way of modelling a real system by an ensemble of models which all share the same bulk qualities (e.g. internal energy, volume, and number of particles). I present an unbiased method of selecting models for a given...
Quantum vacuum fluctuations are usually negligible in solid-state systems due to their minimal strength. They have traditionally been linked to phenomena such as spontaneous emission and the Casimir effect. Recent advances in cavity engineering, however, allow for extreme compression of the photonic mode volume, enhancing considerably the vacuum electric field strength and driving light–matter...
Deep generative models offer powerful tools for solving astrophysical inference problems by enabling flexible representations of prior knowledge and likelihood functions.
In the first part of the talk, I will discuss how generative models can be employed to construct likelihood functions for cosmological inference at the field level, enabling more effective extraction of information...
Deep learning is reshaping how we study jets at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). By learning from the complex patterns of hadronic activity, modern jet-tagging models are opening new possibilities for discovery. In this talk, I will present our recent advances in building large-scale pretrained models for jets, designed to be broadly applicable across the LHC physics program. Such models can...
Optical imaging of alpha tracks in scintillators have been demonstrated in recent years. The imaging of particle tracks has potentials in rare event searches, such as the neutrinoless double-beta decay search. This talk presents the observation and data analyses of alpha particle tracks in a GAGG crystal scintillator using a scientific CMOS camera mounted on an optical microscope. Results on...
The field of astronomy is experiencing a profound shift driven by machine learning, particularly deep learning, which enables efficient processing of vast datasets, surpassing human capabilities in complex data analysis. In this talk, I will showcase the diverse capabilities of AI in astronomy, focusing on tasks related to star formation and the interstellar medium. I will present our AI...
DarkSHINE is a newly proposed fixed-target experiment initiative to search for the invisible decay of Dark Photon via missing energy/momentum signatures, based on the high repetition rate electron beam to be deployed/delivered by the Shanghai High repetition rate XFEL and Extreme light facility (SHINE). The DarkSHINE experiment has recently conducted a series of prototype tests and explored...
Strange metals, found in high-temperature superconductors and other strongly correlated systems, display unconventional transport such as robust linear-in-temperature resistivity that defies Fermi liquid theory. My research explores a disorder-driven approach inspired by the Sachdev–Ye–Kitaev (SYK) model, showing that linear resistivity persists under scalar and vector random couplings, even...
Measuring entanglement entropy in interacting, multipartite systems remains a significant experimental challenge. We address this challenge by developing a protocol to measure von Neumann entropy (VNE) and mutual information in quantum transport systems with both many-body interactions and multiple subsystems. Our analysis indicates that the vital connection between VNE and two-point...
Since the 1970s, four basic solutions of the accretion flow have been discovered, namely the Shakura–Sunyaev thin disk, the Shapiro–Lightman–Eardley (SLE) solution, the slim disk, and the advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF). Although they have achieved great success in interpreting observations in various systems, there are still some questions challenging these theoretical frameworks:...
The Standard Model Higgs field can play an essential role in the very early Universe to realize the cosmic inflation, providing proper initial conditions for the hot big bang theory. However, the vanilla Higgs inflation model suffers from the unitarity problem when the Higgs field decays into gauge bosons after inflation, as the momentum of the produced gauge bosons can be higher than the UV...
During inflation, the inflaton can undergo significant changes. If the inflaton field is coupled to other fields, phase transitions may occur in the coupled fields as the inflaton evolves. The curvature perturbations and gravitational waves generated by the phase transition may be detectable and could provide insights about inflation. We explore the possible curvature perturbation and the...
In this talk, I will introduce the theory of persistent current transport in non-Hermitian quantum systems, building on the foundation of Hermitian superconducting-normal-superconducting junctions. I will then extend the system to incorporate dissipation using non-Hermitian quantum Hamiltonians. By employing Green’s function formalism, I will show the emergence of a non-Hermitian Fermi-Dirac...
The existence of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) at $z>6$ poses a profound challenge to our understanding of their formation and growth. This long-standing puzzle is intensified by recent JWST discoveries of accreting SMBHs at $z \sim 7-10$ with inferred masses up to $\sim 10^{7-8} \rm M_{\odot}$, which require the formation of massive seeds followed by rapid, sustained accretion. A leading...
We examine first-order phase transitions within a hidden $U(1)_X$ sector as potential sources of stochastic gravitational wave backgrounds, with particular emphasis on supercooling and gauge invariance considerations. We establish that supercooled phase transitions provide a viable mechanism for explaining observed pulsar timing array signals and demonstrate that the distinct thermal...
The Kibble--Zurek (KZ) mechanism has been extensively studied in various second-order phase transitions, yet the case of tricriticality---the point where second-order phase transition lines terminate---remains experimentally elusive. Here, we theoretically propose probing KZ scaling at tricritical points using Rydberg atom arrays arranged as two- and three-leg ladders, which realize the...
Context. The majority of massive stars are born with a close binary companion. How this affects their evolution and fate is still largely uncertain, especially at low metallicity.
Aims. We derive synthetic populations of massive post-interaction binary products and compare them with corresponding observed populations in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC).
Methods. We analyse 53298 detailed...
Accurate modeling of gravitational-wave (GW) waveforms is a crucial component of GW detection and parameter estimation. The waveform templates for GW astronomy are primarily based on the effective-one-body framework and the phenomenological framework. However, in the case of binary systems with complex orbital dynamics, such as eccentric binaries, these waveform templates still face challenges...
Quantum advantage schemes probe the boundary between classically simulatable quantum systems and those that computationally go beyond this realm. Here, we introduce a constant-depth measurement-driven approach for efficiently sampling from a broad class of dense instantaneous quantum polynomial-time circuits and associated Hamiltonian phase states, previously requiring polynomial-depth unitary...
Non-Abelian anyons are exotic quasiparticle excitations hosted by certain topologically-ordered phases of matter. They are the building blocks of topological quantum computing. In this talk, I will first give a brief introduction to non-Abelian anyons and then report two recent experimental quantum digital simulation of braiding non-Abelian anyons on programable superconducting processors. In...
Low-angular momentum accretion onto black holes represents distinct differences from the standard disk paradigm, giving rise to transonic flows, standing shocks, and dynamically evolving structures in the near-horizon region. Using advanced general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations, we investigate the nonlinear behavior and long-term evolution of such flows around rotating...
