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SubscribeTraining and Inference Dynamics of PLDR-LLMs: Row-Map Collapse, Renormalization, and Predictive Reduction
This monograph develops a unified account of training and inference in Power Law Decoder Representation language models (PLDR-LLMs). Exact finite work identities decompose changes in the absolute energy of the row-centered learned map into parameter contributions, signed interactions, and numerical observation defects. Positive affine blocking retains restarts at the row-constant face, while the augmented AdamW state supplies the complete dynamical description. Predictive renormalization acts on the complete conditional training law for a single pass over distinct corpus target blocks, retaining optimizer memory, remaining data, schedule, and numerical policy. Autonomous reductions require closure; approximate reductions carry successor and emission errors. Finite-population covariance, matched physical clocks, matrix fluxes, and signed temporal energy connect row dynamics to model-wide observations. Absolute row collapse, relative row concentration, operator stabilization, and predictive accuracy are distinguished. Experiments reveal observer and optimizer dependence, reject the tested autonomous row-state candidates, and support finite conditional prediction and state-specific operator reduction. Independent single-pass families exhibit moving finite fluctuation regions without establishing a thermodynamic critical class. Conditional symmetry, head limits, covariance flows, and readout error budgets specify assumptions needed to transfer scaling laws to inference. The theory separates exact identities, conditional dynamical claims, and finite empirical findings, with proofs, selected formal checks, and compact numerical evidence.
Causality and Renormalization in Finite-Time-Path Out-of-Equilibrium $φ^3$ QFT
Our aim is to contribute to quantum field theory (QFT) formalisms useful for descriptions of short time phenomena, dominant especially in heavy ion collisions. We formulate out-of-equilibrium QFT within the finite-time-path formalism (FTP) and renormalization theory (RT). The potential conflict of FTP and RT is investigated in g phi^3 QFT, by using the retarded/advanced (R/A) basis of Green functions and dimensional renormalization (DR). For example, vertices immediately after (in time) divergent self-energy loops do not conserve energy, as integrals diverge. We "repair" them, while keeping d<4, to obtain energy conservation at those vertices. Already in the S-matrix theory, the renormalized, finite part of Feynman self-energy Sigma_{F}(p_0) does not vanish when |p_0|rightarrowinfty and cannot be split to retarded and advanced parts. In the Glaser--Epstein approach, the causality is repaired in the composite object G_F(p_0)Sigma_{F}(p_0). In the FTP approach, after repairing the vertices, the corresponding composite objects are G_R(p_0)Sigma_{R}(p_0) and Sigma_{A}(p_0)G_A(p_0). In the limit drightarrow 4, one obtains causal QFT. The tadpole contribution splits into diverging and finite parts. The diverging, constant component is eliminated by the renormalization condition langle 0|phi|0rangle =0 of the S-matrix theory. The finite, oscillating energy-nonconserving tadpole contributions vanish in the limit trightarrow infty .
AFRAgent : An Adaptive Feature Renormalization Based High Resolution Aware GUI agent
There is a growing demand for mobile user interface (UI) automation, driven by its broad applications across industries. With the advent of visual language models (VLMs), GUI automation has progressed from generating text-based instructions for humans to autonomously executing tasks, thus optimizing automation workflows. Recent approaches leverage VLMs for this problem due to their ability to 1) process on-screen content directly, 2) remain independent of device-specific APIs by utilizing human actions (e.g., clicks, typing), and 3) apply real-world contextual knowledge for task understanding. However, these models often have trouble accurately identifying widgets and determining actions due to limited spatial information in vision encoder features. Additionally, top-performing models are often large, requiring extensive training and resulting in inference delays. In this work, we introduce AFRAgent, an instruct-BLIP-based multimodal architecture that achieves superior performance in GUI automation while being less than one-fourth the size of its nearest competitor. To enhance image embeddings in the large language model (LLM) pipeline, we propose an adaptive feature renormalization-based (a token-level affine transformation) technique that effectively enriches low-resolution image embeddings and fuses high-resolution details. We evaluate AFRAgent on Meta-GUI and AITW benchmarks, establishing a new state-of-the-art baseline for smartphone automation.
Three-loop renormalization of the quantum action for a five-dimensional scalar cubic model with the usage of the background field method and a cutoff regularization
The paper studies the quantum action for the five-dimensional real φ^3-theory in the case of a general formulation using the background field method. The three-loop renormalization is performed with the usage of a cutoff regularization in the coordinate representation. The explicit form of the first three coefficients for the renormalization constants is presented. The absence of non-local singular contributions and partial results for the fourth correction are discussed.
On-shell renormalization of sine-Gordon by the quantum inverse scattering method
In the quantum inverse scattering method, the sine-Gordon model is solved on a lattice, and its continuum and infinite-volume limits become uniform only after the length of the box is rescaled. We show that this rescaling, supplemented by an on-shell condition, defines a renormalization scheme. The whole dependence on the cut-off is absorbed into a factor Z_L multiplying the length of the box, with an exponent fixed by the scaling dimension of the vertex operator; neither the field nor the coupling β is renormalized, no subtraction scale is introduced, and the mass parameter receives a finite renormalization, fixed by requiring that the lightest breather has the mass of the boson in the linearized theory. The soliton and breather masses follow from the eigenvalues of the monodromy operator as functions of parameters that do not run, and reduce to the classical and semiclassical results as βrightarrow0. In particular, the mass ratios are produced directly from the regularized construction, while the relation between the lattice parameters and the physical scale is absorbed into Z_L and never needs to be computed. The scheme is a reparameterization of the theory which makes explicit the interplay between integrability and renormalization. We compare it with Coleman's normal ordering and with conformal perturbation theory, and we argue that it extends to ultralocal integrable theories with a massive spectrum, possibly including asymptotically free models that admit an ultralocal lattice regularization.
Reheating surface volume renormalization and eternal inflation under broken scale invariance
Recently, Cotler, Ivo, and Maldacena have shown that under scale invariance, eternal inflation is interpreted as a failure of the reheating surface volume renormalization due to an ill-defined scaling dimension. Meanwhile, observations suggest that scale invariance is slightly broken, which is parametrized by deviation of the spectral index from unity, varepsilon=n_s-1. Motivated by this, we study how the scale invariance breaking effect modifies the no-eternal inflation condition as the renormalizability of the reheating surface volume. For this purpose, we adopt two independent approaches: investigating the behavior of the normal ordered reheating surface volume operator under a shift of the curvature perturbation, and analyzing the coarse-graining structure to obtain the scaling dimension. Both approaches commonly reveal that as long as varepsilon is negative, which is consistent with observations, the fractal structure of the reheating surface volume breaks down at macroscopic scale, moderating the no-eternal inflation condition.
Evidence for an Obstruction to Perturbative Renormalization Group in Stochastic Turbulence
We examine whether the perturbative renormalization group (RG) regime of stochastic turbulence can be continued from small varepsilon to the physical value varepsilon_{phys}=2, corresponding to large-scale forcing. Exploiting the simplifications of the large-d limit, we calculate the correction exponent ω to five-loop order and find a simple structure suggesting a closed analytic form. This form implies that the fixed point stable near varepsilon=0 ceases to be simultaneously real and infrared stable before reaching varepsilon_{phys}=2, pointing to a possible change of infrared regime rather than a controlled perturbative RG extrapolation.
Predictive power of the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless theory based on Renormalization Group throughout the BCS-BEC crossover in 2D superconductors
Recent experiments on 2D superconductors allow the characterization of the critical temperature and of the phase diagram across the BCS-BEC crossover as a function of density. We obtain from these experiments the microscopic parameters of the superconducting state at low temperatures by the BCS mean-field approach. For Li_xZrNCl, the extracted parameters are used to evaluate the superconducting phase stiffness and the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) critical temperature throughout the BCS-BEC crossover, by implementing the corresponding Renormalization Group (RG) approach. In this way, we make a quantitative test of the predictive power of the BKT theory for evaluating the critical temperature. The RG flow equations turn out to give a sizable renormalization of the phase stiffness and of the critical temperature, which is crucial to obtain a satisfactory agreement between the BKT theory and the experiments, in particular in the BCS-BEC crossover regime. We predict the temperature range where phase stiffness renormalization can be measured in Li_xZrNCl across the BCS-BEC crossover. Contrary to other microscopic theories of superconductivity, we find that the BKT theory can be exploited to evaluate quantitatively the critical temperature of 2D superconductors in different pairing regimes.
Two-loop RI/SMOM-$\overline{\text{MS}}$ matching factors for the renormalization of bi-local operators contributing to $ε_K$
The measure of indirect CP violation in the neutral kaon system, ε_K, is an important precision test of the Standard Model. A first-principles Standard Model prediction of ε_K requires evaluating the long-distance contribution in which the ΔS = 2 process proceeds via two ΔS = 1 operators. The non-perturbative nature of QCD in the relevant energy regimes requires a lattice QCD simulation. In this paper we present the two-loop, O(α_s) RI/SMOM - text{MS} matching factors required to renormalize a lattice QCD calculation of the long-distance contribution to ε_K.
Latent Object Permanence: Topological Phase Transitions, Free-Energy Principles, and Renormalization Group Flows in Deep Transformer Manifolds
We study the emergence of multi-step reasoning in deep Transformer language models through a geometric and statistical-physics lens. Treating the hidden-state trajectory as a flow on an implicit Riemannian manifold, we analyze the layerwise covariance spectrum of activations, where C^{(ell)}=E[h^{(ell)}h^{(ell)top}], and track deviations from a random-matrix bulk. Across model scales (1.5B--30B), we observe a sharp reduction in effective dimensionality consistent with a phase transition: an order parameter based on sparsity/localization, Ω(h)=1-|h|_1/(d|h|_2), exhibits a discontinuity near a critical normalized depth γ_capprox 0.42 in sufficiently large models. We formalize the forward pass as a discrete coarse-graining map and relate the appearance of stable "concept basins" to fixed points of this renormalization-like dynamics. The resulting low-entropy regime is characterized by a spectral tail collapse and by the formation of transient, reusable object-like structures in representation space, which we call Transient Class Objects (TCOs). We provide theoretical conditions connecting logical separability to spectral decay and validate the predicted signatures with layerwise probes on multiple open-weight model families.
Markov length can diverge in systems whose universal physics is spatially Markovian
Conditional mutual information (CMI) probes spatial non-Markovianity and plays a central role in a recently developed framework for defining mixed-state phases based on local reversibility. This framework sharply distinguishes exponentially decaying from algebraically decaying CMI, since the latter obstructs equivalence to a state with finite Markov length. Here we show that states that flow to the same renormalization-group (RG) fixed point can nevertheless exhibit qualitatively different CMI. Starting from a critical Gibbs state of a finite-range local classical Hamiltonian, whose CMI vanishes beyond the interaction range, we show that an RG-irrelevant perturbation that breaks detailed balance generically generates algebraically decaying CMI. Crucially, these power-law tails are cutoff-suppressed: although they lead to an infinite Markov length at every fixed lattice cutoff, they vanish as a positive power of the cutoff in the continuum limit. We construct solvable models that exhibit this phenomenon and predict that the Ising-symmetric critical point of Toom's cellular automata generically exhibits such behavior. We also find analogous cutoff-suppressed CMI in the high-temperature paramagnetic phase of the long-range Ising paramagnet, in contrast with the genuine power-law CMI at the finite-temperature critical point in this same model that survives the continuum limit. We also derive a general result that in one spatial dimension, CMI decays faster than the inverse square of the buffer length if and only if the long-distance physics is Markovian.
Training-Free Halving of Activated Experts in Fine-Grained Mixture-of-Experts Models
Modern fine-grained Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) models route each token to a small number of experts and renormalize their router probabilities. We show that this renormalization implicitly calibrates expert output gain to the training top-k: reducing k at inference changes not only which experts are used but also the strength of the expert branch. We separate these effects by activating the top k_1 experts while normalizing by the probability mass of the top k_2 experts, introducing one integer with no parameters, training, or measurable compute overhead. On Qwen3.6-35B-A3B, reducing from 8 to 4 experts causes a 4.65-point MMLU drop under standard renormalization but only 0.35 points with k_2=16, while halving routed-expert compute. The result replicates on the 11times larger Qwen3.5-397B-A17B, where reducing from 10 to 5 experts loses only 0.55 points with an appropriate reference set. Removing renormalization entirely is catastrophic, showing that preserving a suitable reference mass is crucial. We further find that perplexity and downstream accuracy favor different k_2, cautioning against selecting MoE compression settings using unlabeled text alone. Analyses also show that expert identity matters substantially more than expert weighting, while balanced and domain-specialized routing leaves limited room for expert pruning.
Leading Logarithms in the Effective Theory of Gravity: corrections to the scalar mass
In a low-energy effective field theory (EFT), scaling logarithmic terms arise from the renormalization of higher-dimensional couplings that absorb divergences generated by loop integrals with lower-order vertices. Consequently, leading logarithms (LLs) are generated entirely by the leading-order Lagrangian, rendering them universal low-energy predictions. Adapting techniques developed for chiral perturbation theory, we analyze the series of LLs in the EFT of general relativity. As a concrete application, we compute LL corrections to the scalar pole mass up to three-loop order and demonstrate that they can be determined recursively to arbitrary loop order. To confirm the physical validity of our results, we carry out the calculation using a general gauge-fixing parameter and explicitly verify its complete cancellation in the physical observable.
Precision holography for non-conformal branes
We set up precision holography for the non-conformal branes preserving 16 supersymmetries. The near-horizon limit of all such p-brane solutions with p \leq 4, including the case of fundamental string solutions, is conformal to AdS_{p+2} x S^{8-p} with a linear dilaton. We develop holographic renormalization for all these cases. In particular, we obtain the most general asymptotic solutions with appropriate Dirichlet boundary conditions, find the corresponding counterterms and compute the holographic 1-point functions, all in complete generality and at the full non-linear level. The result for the stress energy tensor properly defines the notion of mass for backgrounds with such asymptotics. The analysis is done both in the original formulation of the method and also using a radial Hamiltonian analysis. The latter formulation exhibits most clearly the existence of an underlying generalized conformal structure. In the cases of Dp-branes, the corresponding dual boundary theory, the maximally supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory SYM_{p+1}, indeed exhibits the generalized conformal structure found at strong coupling. We compute the holographic 2-point functions of the stress energy tensor and gluon operator and show they satisfy the expected Ward identities and the constraints of generalized conformal structure. The holographic results are also manifestly compatible with the M-theory uplift, with the asymptotic solutions, counterterms, one and two point functions etc of the IIA F1 and D4 appropriately descending from those of M2 and M5 branes, respectively. We present a few applications including the computation of condensates in Witten's model of holographic YM_4 theory.
Combining Electron-Phonon and Dynamical Mean-Field Theory Calculations of Correlated Materials: Transport in the Correlated Metal Sr$_2$RuO$_4$
Electron-electron (e-e) and electron-phonon (e-ph) interactions are challenging to describe in correlated materials, where their joint effects govern unconventional transport, phase transitions, and superconductivity. Here we combine first-principles e-ph calculations with dynamical mean field theory (DMFT) as a step toward a unified description of e-e and e-ph interactions in correlated materials. We compute the e-ph self-energy using the DMFT electron Green's function, and combine it with the e-e self-energy from DMFT to obtain a Green's function including both interactions. This approach captures the renormalization of quasiparticle dispersion and spectral weight on equal footing. Using our method, we study the e-ph and e-e contributions to the resistivity and spectral functions in the correlated metal Sr_2RuO_4. In this material, our results show that e-e interactions dominate transport and spectral broadening in the temperature range we study (50-310~K), while e-ph interactions are relatively weak and account for only sim10\% of the experimental resistivity. We also compute effective scattering rates, and find that the e-e interactions result in scattering several times greater than the Planckian value k_BT, whereas e-ph interactions are associated with scattering rates lower than k_BT. Our work demonstrates a first-principles approach to combine electron dynamical correlations from DMFT with e-ph interactions in a consistent way, advancing quantitative studies of correlated materials.
CrFe2Ge2: Investigation of novel ferromagnetic material of Fe13Ge8-type crystal
We successfully synthesized a novel intermetallic compound rm CrFe_2Ge_2 with the rm Fe_{13}Ge_{8}-type crystal structure. A structural study is presented combining single-crystal X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy analysis, confirming the presence of two distinct Fe sublattices. rm CrFe_2Ge_2 exhibits a metallic ferromagnetic state with T_C approx rm 200~K. This material does not follow the usual M^2 propto H/M Arrott law, rather a modified Arrott law is obeyed in this material. The critical exponents determined from detailed analysis of modified Arrott plots were found to be β= 0.392, γ= 1.309 and δ= 4.26 obtained from the critical isotherm at T_{rm C} =rm 200~K. Self-consistency and reliability of the critical exponent analysis were verified by the Widom scaling law and scaling equations. Using the results from renormalization group calculation, the critical behavior of rm CrFe_2Ge_2 is akin to that of a d=3, n=3 ferromagnet in which the magnetic exhange distance is found to decay as J(r) approx r^{-4.86} with long-range magnetic coupling. The evaluated Rhodes-Wohlfarth ratio of sim 3 points to an itinerant ferromagnetic ground state. Low-temperature measurements of resistivity, p(T), and specific heat, C_P(T), reveal a pronounced contribution from electron-magnon scattering.
Renormalized mechanics and stochastic thermodynamics of growing vesicles
Uncovering the rules governing the nonequilibrium dynamics of the membranes that define biological cells is of central importance to understanding the physics of living systems. We theoretically and computationally investigate the behavior of flexible quasispherical vesicles that exchange membrane constituents, internal volume, and heat with an external reservoir. The excess chemical potential and osmotic pressure difference imposed by the reservoir act as generalized thermodynamic driving forces that modulate vesicle morphology. We show that the renormalization of membrane mechanical properties by nonequilibrium driving gives rise to a morphological transition between a weakly driven regime, in which growing vesicles remain quasispherical, and a strongly driven regime, in which vesicles accommodate rapid membrane uptake by developing surface wrinkles. Additionally, we propose a minimal vesicle growth-shape law, derived using insights from stochastic thermodynamics, that robustly describes vesicle growth dynamics even in strongly driven, far-from-equilibrium regimes.
NormGuard: Reward-Preserving Norm Constraints in Flow-Matching Reinforcement Learning
Reinforcement learning (RL) post-training improves the reward alignment of flow-based generators, but often degrades perceptual quality in ways that are not captured by the reward proxy. We identify a simple structural signature of this drift: across three post-training methods (NFT, AWM, DPO), RL fine-tuning inflates the per-step velocity norm |v_θ| by 5% to 15% relative to the reference. A form of norm inflation has been studied in classifier-free guidance (CFG), where rescaling the velocity back to a reference norm at inference time can mitigate the resulting artifacts. However, this inference-time correction does not transfer cleanly to RL: rescaling v_θ to match |v_{ref}| at inference time neither improves reward nor fixes the quality degradation, because the inflation is co-adapted into the model weights. Furthermore, an adjoint sensitivity analysis shows that velocity magnitude rescaling carries no coherent first-order reward signal at the batch level, indicating that suppressing norm inflation is unlikely to remove a consistently reward-carrying component. Since inference-time renormalization fails while norm suppression carries no reward cost, training-time intervention is the appropriate strategy. Together, these findings motivate \methodname, a hinge penalty that activates only when |v_θ| exceeds |v_{ref}| and composes additively with any velocity-local base loss. Across two base models, three post-training methods, and two reward proxies, \methodname consistently improves MLLM-judged image quality and forensic realism while preserving reward, with gains that amplify under few-step inference and are not explained by early stopping.
Superconductivity in the Uniform Electron Gas: Irrelevance of Kohn-Luttinger Mechanism
We study the Cooper instability in jellium model in the controlled regime of small to intermediate values of the Coulomb parameter r_s leq 2. We confirm that superconductivity naturally emerges from purely repulsive interactions described by the Kukkonen-Overhauser vertex function. By employing the implicit renormalization approach we reveal that even in the small-r_s limit, the dominant mechanism behind Cooper instability is based on dynamic screening of the Coulomb interaction--accurately captured by the random phase approximation, whereas the Kohn-Luttinger contribution is negligibly small and, thus, not relevant.
Symbolic Density Estimators for Unnormalized Distributions
Estimating the symbolic or analytical form of probability density functions (PDFs) from observed samples is a fundamental challenge in statistical and computational modelling. This process is critical for deriving interpretable and generalizable relationships characterizing the underlying phenomenon. Traditionally, this estimation depends strongly on domain expertise and prior field-specific knowledge, with experts selecting appropriate functional forms or parametric families based on empirical evidence and theoretical understanding. The coefficients of these forms are then typically determined through parameter estimation. In this paper, we develop a framework for estimating symbolic expressions of unnormalized distributions from observed samples using domain-specific prior knowledge, such as the range of interactions and a predefined set of primitive functions. We integrate deep generative models with symbolic regression (SR), incorporating inductive biases, such as factorizing large distributions, to keep the problem tractable. The deep generative models we examine include likelihood-based models, viz., flow models, and score-based models. Experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed framework for estimating density functions for multivariate toy distributions as well as lattices from computational physics, namely, XY model and ϕ^4 theory. When applied to the renormalization problem in ϕ^4 theory, the proposed framework estimates compact symbolic approximations of the hamiltonian function at different scales directly from samples, yielding expressions that may be challenging to derive using traditional perturbative or analytic approaches in nonperturbative settings.
Asymptotic Safety in Gauge Theories beyond Four Dimensions: Perturbative Tests and Fixed-Point Mergers
Non-Abelian gauge theories above four dimensions may admit an interacting ultraviolet fixed point through the competition between canonical scaling and gauge-field antiscreening. Using the four-loop mathrm{MS} beta function continued to D=4+2ε, we determine the largest dimension D_{pt}=4+2ε_{pt} below which successive loop corrections to the fixed point remain hierarchically ordered under a specified ratio criterion, and map D_{pt} over color and flavor numbers for fermions in the fundamental representation of SU(N). At D=5, we construct rational anomalous dimensions with a fixed, pole-regularized denominator inspired by the functional renormalization group (fRG). Matching to the mathrm{MS} series through one, two, and three loops produces progressively smaller shifts in the critical flavor number and coupling at the ultraviolet--infrared merger (the point where the infrared and ultraviolet fixed points coincide), yielding N_f^{cr}simeq 2.09 , N at large N in the three-loop construction. This low-order stabilization, together with qualitative evidence from fRG flows including higher gauge operators, suggests a potential merger scenario that bounds the candidate asymptotically safe region in flavor number. The resulting color--flavor map provides guidance for five-dimensional model building by displaying both the baseline perturbative-control boundary and the candidate three-loop merger boundary. Four-loop matching, however, retains an interacting ultraviolet fixed point beyond the three-loop merger boundary, with no merger found for integer 2le Nle15 and 0le N_f/Nle11/2. The sensitivity of the fixed-point structure to higher-order terms leaves both scenarios open, highlighting fixed-point annihilation as a potential constraint on five-dimensional asymptotic safety.
On the Road to Clarity: Exploring Explainable AI for World Models in a Driver Assistance System
In Autonomous Driving (AD) transparency and safety are paramount, as mistakes are costly. However, neural networks used in AD systems are generally considered black boxes. As a countermeasure, we have methods of explainable AI (XAI), such as feature relevance estimation and dimensionality reduction. Coarse graining techniques can also help reduce dimensionality and find interpretable global patterns. A specific coarse graining method is Renormalization Groups from statistical physics. It has previously been applied to Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs) to interpret unsupervised learning. We refine this technique by building a transparent backbone model for convolutional variational autoencoders (VAE) that allows mapping latent values to input features and has performance comparable to trained black box VAEs. Moreover, we propose a custom feature map visualization technique to analyze the internal convolutional layers in the VAE to explain internal causes of poor reconstruction that may lead to dangerous traffic scenarios in AD applications. In a second key contribution, we propose explanation and evaluation techniques for the internal dynamics and feature relevance of prediction networks. We test a long short-term memory (LSTM) network in the computer vision domain to evaluate the predictability and in future applications potentially safety of prediction models. We showcase our methods by analyzing a VAE-LSTM world model that predicts pedestrian perception in an urban traffic situation.
Non-relativistic holography
We consider holography for d-dimensional scale invariant but non-Lorentz invariant field theories, which do not admit the full Schrodinger symmetry group. We find new realizations of the corresponding (d+1)-dimensional gravity duals, engineered with a variety of matter Lagrangians, and their finite temperature generalizations. The thermodynamic properties of the finite temperature backgrounds are precisely those expected for anisotropic, scale invariant field theories. The brane and string theory realizations of such backgrounds are briefly discussed, along with their holographic interpretation in terms of marginal but non Lorentz invariant deformations of conformal field theories. We initiate discussion of holographic renormalization in these backgrounds, and note that such systematic renormalization is necessary to obtain the correct behavior of correlation functions.
Generative Image Coding with Diffusion Prior
As generative technologies advance, visual content has evolved into a complex mix of natural and AI-generated images, driving the need for more efficient coding techniques that prioritize perceptual quality. Traditional codecs and learned methods struggle to maintain subjective quality at high compression ratios, while existing generative approaches face challenges in visual fidelity and generalization. To this end, we propose a novel generative coding framework leveraging diffusion priors to enhance compression performance at low bitrates. Our approach employs a pre-optimized encoder to generate generalized compressed-domain representations, integrated with the pretrained model's internal features via a lightweight adapter and an attentive fusion module. This framework effectively leverages existing pretrained diffusion models and enables efficient adaptation to different pretrained models for new requirements with minimal retraining costs. We also introduce a distribution renormalization method to further enhance reconstruction fidelity. Extensive experiments show that our method (1) outperforms existing methods in visual fidelity across low bitrates, (2) improves compression performance by up to 79% over H.266/VVC, and (3) offers an efficient solution for AI-generated content while being adaptable to broader content types.
Large Landscape of 4d Superconformal Field Theories from Small Gauge Theories
We systematically explore the space of renormalization group flows of four-dimensional N=1 superconformal field theories (SCFTs) triggered by relevant deformations, as well as by coupling to free chiral multiplets with relevant operators. In this way, we classify all possible fixed point SCFTs that can be obtained from certain rank 1 and 2 supersymmetric gauge theories with small amount of matter multiplets, identifying 7,346 inequivalent fixed points which pass a series of non-trivial consistency checks. This set of fixed points exhibits interesting statistical behaviors, including a narrow distribution of central charges (a, c), a correlation between the number of relevant operators and the ratio a/c, and trends in the lightest operator dimension versus a/c. The ratio a/c of this set is distributed between 0.7228 and 1.2100, where the upper bound is larger than that of previously known interacting SCFTs. Moreover, we find a plethora of highly non-perturbative phenomena, such as (super)symmetry enhancements, operator decoupling, non-commuting renormalization group flows, and dualities. We especially identify amongst these fixed points a new SCFT that has smaller central charges (a, c) = (633{2000},683{2000}) than that of the deformed minimal Argyres-Douglas theory, as well as novel Lagrangian duals for certain N=1 deformed Argyres-Douglas theories. We provide a website https://qft.kaist.ac.kr/landscape to navigate through our set of fixed points.
Probability-based Estimates of the Uncalculated N$^5$LO QCD Contribution to the Hadronic $W$-Boson Decay Width
The perturbative QCD corrections to the hadronic decay width of the W boson are currently known up to next-to-next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order (N^4LO), whereas the exact N^5LO correction remains unavailable owing to its formidable computational complexity. In this work, we estimate the N^5LO contributions by adopting Bayesian analysis (BA). Before performing the estimation, the Principle of Maximum Conformality (PMC) is employed to improve the precision of the initial scale-dependent perturbative series. Through recursive application of the renormalization group equation, non-conformal terms are absorbed into the strong running coupling, yielding a scheme-independent, scale-invariant perturbative series with improved convergence. The PMC procedure determines an effective coupling α_s(Q_*), with the PMC scale fixed as Q_* = 100.102~GeV at next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy. Based on the improved and more precise series, the 95.5% BA credible interval yields an uncertainty of Δδ_QCD|_{PMC, BA}^{N^5LO} = pm 1.0times 10^{-5}. The resulting hadronic branching ratio is B(Wto hadrons)|_PMC = (65.84pm 1.54)%, which is consistent with experimental data within reasonable errors.
Estimate of $Γ(H \to gg)$ at $O(α_s^7)$ from Padé approximants with constraints from large-$n_f$
In this work we estimate the first unknown QCD correction to the decay of the Higgs boson into gluons, Hto gg, in the heavy-top limit using Padé approximants built to the perturbative series and to its Borel transform. In the process, we also obtain estimates for the first unknown coefficients of the QCD β function, of the QCD decoupling relation, and of the gluonium correlator. We also provide an updated prediction for the first unknown coefficient of Γ(Hto bb). We determine the polynomial dependence of the perturbative coefficients on the number of quark flavors, n_f. We point out that the large-n_f result for Hto gg can be obtained from results for the gluonium correlator already available in the literature. The coefficient of the highest power of n_f is then imposed as a constraint and is also used as a new test to discard unreliable approximants. The method is validated through the postdiction of the last known coefficient of the series. Our model-independent estimate for the yet unknown coefficient of order α_s^7 of Γ(Hto gg) is -312pm 15 (in the mathrm{MS} scheme with μ=m_H, where m_H is the Higgs mass). With our estimate the residual renormalization-scale dependence of Γ(Hto gg) is reduced by a factor of almost 1.5.
Amplitude mode in Eliashberg superconductors
In the BCS theory of superconductivity the amplitude (Higgs) mode is degenerate with the pair-breaking threshold: its frequency coincides with 2Δ, so it is an edge singularity rather than a true collective mode. This is why after a sudden weak perturbation at t=0 its oscillations decay algebraically as 1/t. We show that the retardation effects due to the phonon dynamics in the strong-coupling theory lift this degeneracy. The Higgs mode detaches from the pair-breaking edge 2Δ_g, set by the spectral gap, and becomes a sharp subgap excitation. We determine its frequency from the longitudinal pair susceptibility evaluated directly on the real frequency axis, using the Eilenberger equations for Migdal--Eliashberg theory with the Einstein phonon spectrum. The response of the mass renormalization supplies at least two fifths of the displacement, and possibly all of it: with it switched off, the binding falls below the resolution of the calculation. Its consequences, however, are significant because a percent-level shift transfers about a quarter of the spectral weight of the amplitude channel out of the two-quasiparticle continuum into a discrete energy level. What experiment sees is therefore not the displacement itself but its consequence: amplitude oscillations that persist instead of decaying as 1/t.
Mass corrections to the DGLAP equations
We propose a mass-dependent MOM scheme to renormalize UV divergence of unpolarized PDFs at one-loop order. This approach which is based on a once subtracted dispersion relation does not need any regulator. The overall counterterms are obtained from the imaginary part of large transverse momentum region in loop integrals. The mass-dependent characteristic of the scheme yields to mass-dependent splitting functions for the DGLAP evolution equations. While the flavor number is fixed at any renormalization scale, the decoupling theorem is automatically imposed by the mass-dependent splitting functions. The required symmetries are also automatically respected by our prescription.
Beyond Symmetries : Anomalies in Transverse Ward--Takahashi Identities
Anomalies in transverse Ward--Takahashi identities are studied, allowing discussion of the feasibility of anomalies arising in general non-symmetry Ward--Takahashi identities. We adopt the popular Fujikawa's method and rigorous dimensional renormalization to verify the existence of transverse anomalies to one-loop order and any loop order, respectively. The arbitrariness of coefficients of transverse anomalies is revealed, and a way out is also proposed after relating transverse anomalies to Schwinger terms and comparing symmetry and non-symmetry anomalies. Papers that claim the non-existence of transverse anomalies are reviewed to find anomalies hidden in their approaches. The role played by transverse anomalies is discussed.
Decom-Renorm-Merge: Model Merging on the Right Space Improves Multitasking
In the era of large-scale training, model merging has evolved into a tool for creating multitasking models efficiently. It enables the knowledge of models to be fused, without the need for heavy computation as required in traditional multitask learning. Existing merging methods often assume that entries at identical positions in weight matrices serve the same function, enabling straightforward entry-wise comparison and merging. However, this assumption overlooks the complexity of finetuned neural networks, where neurons may develop distinct feature compositions, making direct entry-wise merging problematic. We present Decom-Renorm-Merge (DRM), a simple yet effective approach that leverages Singular Value Decomposition to decompose and coordinate weight matrices into an aligned joint space, where entry-wise merging becomes possible. We showcase the effectiveness of DRM across various settings ranging from smaller encoder-based such as ViT and DeBERTa, encoder-decoder-based such as T5, and larger decoder-based such as Llama3.1-8B. Our experimental results show that DRM outperforms several state-of-the-art merging techniques across full finetuning and low-rank adaptation settings. Moreover, our analysis reveals renormalization as the crucial component for creating a robust and even joint space for merging, significantly contributing to the method's performance.
Draft-Conditioned Constrained Decoding for Structured Generation in LLMs
Large language models (LLMs) are increasingly used to generate executable outputs, JSON objects, and API calls, where a single syntax error can make the output unusable. Constrained decoding enforces validity token-by-token via masking and renormalization, but it can distort generation when the model assigns low probability mass to valid continuations, pushing decoding toward locally valid yet semantically incorrect trajectories. We propose Draft-Conditioned Constrained Decoding (DCCD), a simple two-step, training-free inference procedure that decouples semantic planning from structural enforcement: an unconstrained draft is generated first, and constrained decoding is then applied, conditioned on this draft, to guarantee validity. We analyze DCCD through a KL-projection view, showing that draft conditioning increases feasible mass and reduces the cumulative "projection tax" induced by hard constraints, with an optional best-of-K draft selection. Across structured reasoning benchmarks, DCCD improves strict structured accuracy by up to +24 percentage points over standard constrained decoding (e.g., 15.2\% to 39.0\% on GSM8K with a 1B model), and enables smaller model pairs to match or exceed much larger constrained baselines, yielding substantial gains in parameter efficiency.
Dual-State Slot Attention: Decoupling Appearance and Identity for Video Object-Centric Learning
Unsupervised video object-centric learning aims to decompose dynamic scenes into persistent, object-level representations without supervision. However, existing slot-based methods struggle to maintain stable object identity in challenging settings such as rapid motion and partial occlusion. First, they typically encode both the per-frame appearance of an object and its identity across frames in a single slot vector, creating an objective conflict that leads to slot swapping: reconstruction requires sensitivity to transient visual changes, whereas temporal consistency requires invariance to them. Second, the token renormalization used in Slot Attention can amplify weakly attending slots, allowing them to absorb tokens from other objects and destabilize slot-to-object correspondence. We propose Dual-State Slot Attention (DSSA), a fully self-supervised framework that addresses these limitations by separating appearance from identity and by reducing spurious updates from weakly matching slots. DSSA decomposes each slot into a local state for per-frame appearance and an identity state for temporally stable object information, thereby aligning reconstruction and temporal consistency with separate representations. The identity state is updated through a learned recurrent transition that acts as a temporal filter on the local state, while competition-modulated aggregation (CMA) down-weights updates from weakly matching slots and prevents them from absorbing tokens from other objects. Experiments on MOVi-C, MOVi-D, and YouTube-VIS demonstrate that DSSA consistently improves segmentation quality and temporal consistency over prior methods, while also yielding stronger downstream object recognition and video dynamics prediction. Code and models will be made publicly available upon acceptance.
Quantum Convolutional Neural Networks
We introduce and analyze a novel quantum machine learning model motivated by convolutional neural networks. Our quantum convolutional neural network (QCNN) makes use of only O(log(N)) variational parameters for input sizes of N qubits, allowing for its efficient training and implementation on realistic, near-term quantum devices. The QCNN architecture combines the multi-scale entanglement renormalization ansatz and quantum error correction. We explicitly illustrate its potential with two examples. First, QCNN is used to accurately recognize quantum states associated with 1D symmetry-protected topological phases. We numerically demonstrate that a QCNN trained on a small set of exactly solvable points can reproduce the phase diagram over the entire parameter regime and also provide an exact, analytical QCNN solution. As a second application, we utilize QCNNs to devise a quantum error correction scheme optimized for a given error model. We provide a generic framework to simultaneously optimize both encoding and decoding procedures and find that the resultant scheme significantly outperforms known quantum codes of comparable complexity. Finally, potential experimental realization and generalizations of QCNNs are discussed.
The Love for Three Logarithms: Universal Running of Dynamical Love Numbers
The static tidal Love numbers of black holes vanish in general relativity (GR), but are generically non-zero, and in fact 'run' logarithmically with scale, in more general theories or beyond the static limit. We expose a model-agnostic framework for the running of Love numbers at the dynamical level, valid for any tidal perturbation on any static, spherically symmetric, asymptotically flat background, based on the near-zone expansion in powers of the frequency ω and on the monodromy at spatial infinity. A master recurrence formula determines the monodromy generator to all orders in ω^2, whose three independent entries fully encode the running of the Love numbers. This structure explains the quadratic nature of the renormalization group equation, here proved to all orders and for any type of Love number. We discuss the scheme dependence of the logarithmic coefficients, which is made transparent by the monodromy form. In particular, this clarifies that the anomalous exponents of the tidal field, the so-called 'renormalized angular momentum' of the Mano-Suzuki-Takasugi formalism, are scheme-invariant and directly computable on any spacetime, without need of explicit solutions. We discuss several applications to black holes, including the derivation of a closed-form formula for the leading dynamical running of axial Love numbers of Reissner-Nordström black holes, proving in particular that it vanishes in the extremal limit. For generic black holes beyond GR, we prove that dynamical running probes deformations of the metric at lower multipoles than the static one, and we illustrate the power of the method by deriving some exact results for the Hayward and Bardeen regular black holes.
Scalar field theory for (chiral) active Brownian particles: bottom-up derivation revisited
The active Brownian particle (ABP) model is one of the most widely used particle-based models in studies of scalar active fluids. A collection of interacting ABPs is known to exhibit intriguing phenomena that are absent in equilibrium counterparts. A prominent example is spontaneous phase separation, known as motility-induced phase separation (MIPS), which occurs even in the absence of explicit attractive interactions. In parallel, the large-scale behavior of scalar active fluids is often modeled using continuum descriptions, namely, scalar field theories. Such scalar active field theories are usually formulated in a top-down manner, and establishing their connections to particle-based models remains challenging, with these connections not yet fully understood. To advance the microscopic derivation of scalar active field theories, we revisit the connection between ABPs interacting via a two-body potential in two dimensions and scalar field theories that include all possible terms up to fourth order in spatial gradients. Our approach is based on a pressure expansion and the renormalization group (RG) method in the context of singular perturbation theory. The RG method provides a systematic way to eliminate fast variables and identify the dynamics on the slow invariant manifold. Within this framework, scalar field theories can be obtained as RG flow equations. We also apply this method to a chiral variant of the ABP model, the chiral ABP (cABP) model, in which a constant torque biases particle rotation to the left or right. We show that the scalar field theory corresponding to the cABP model contains two ``odd'' terms in addition to those present in the scalar field theory for ABPs. The method developed here may also be useful for deriving hydrodynamic descriptions of other types of active matter systems.
Beyond gauge-parameter dependence: Further evidence for asymptotic safety in Scalar-Tensor theories
Asymptotic Safety provides a promising framework for the quantization of Scalar-Tensor theories as non-perturbatively renormalizable quantum field theories. Over the past years, growing evidence has accumulated for the existence of non-trivial renormalization group fixed points in a variety of Scalar-Tensor models. In this work, we investigate the robustness of these fixed points under significant modifications of the computational setup. In particular, we employ a gauge condition that explicitly depends on the dynamical scalar field, going beyond a mere gauge-parameter deformation of the standard linear covariant gauges commonly used in the literature. Exploring different field parameterizations, we identify fixed points belonging to the Gaussian Matter class in four spacetime dimensions that are consistent with previous studies. The real part of the critical exponents associated with the scalar-field mass and the non-minimal scalar-curvature coupling turn out to have very small absolute value. We provide a comprehensive exploration of how the anomalous dimension of the scalar field and field parameterization impact those critical exponents showing that fixed-point candidates with two or four relevant directions emerge.
CNN-based MultiChannel End-to-End Speech Recognition for everyday home environments
Casual conversations involving multiple speakers and noises from surrounding devices are common in everyday environments, which degrades the performances of automatic speech recognition systems. These challenging characteristics of environments are the target of the CHiME-5 challenge. By employing a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based multichannel end-to-end speech recognition system, this study attempts to overcome the presents difficulties in everyday environments. The system comprises of an attention-based encoder-decoder neural network that directly generates a text as an output from a sound input. The multichannel CNN encoder, which uses residual connections and batch renormalization, is trained with augmented data, including white noise injection. The experimental results show that the word error rate is reduced by 8.5% and 0.6% absolute from a single channel end-to-end and the best baseline (LF-MMI TDNN) on the CHiME-5 corpus, respectively.
Ising models on the hydrogen peroxide and other lattices
We perform a Monte Carlo analysis of the Ising model on many three-dimensional lattices. By means of finite-size scaling we obtain the critical points and determine the scaling dimensions. As expected, the critical exponents agree with the three-dimensional Ising universality class for all models. The irrelevant field, as revealed by the correction-to-scaling amplitudes, appears to be relatively large. Combining the Monte Carlo results for the hydrogen peroxide lattice with those for five other three-dimensional lattices, we obtain a set of data covering a wide range of the irrelevant temperature field. This is helpful in the determination of the parameters describing the corrections to scaling. As a consequence, new results are obtained for the universal parameters describing Ising criticality in three dimensions, with reduced error margins in comparison with earlier Monte Carlo analyses. The critical exponents describing the thermodynamic singularities are determined by the temperature renormalization exponent y_t = 1.58693 (9) and the magnetic renormalization exponent y_h = 2.48178 (5). The corrections to scaling are governed by the irrelevant exponent y_1 = -0.821 (5).
A Random Matrix Theory Perspective on the Consistency of Diffusion Models
Diffusion models trained on different, non-overlapping subsets of a dataset often produce strikingly similar outputs when given the same noise seed. We trace this consistency to a simple linear effect: the shared Gaussian statistics across splits already predict much of the generated images. To formalize this, we develop a random matrix theory (RMT) framework that quantifies how finite datasets shape the expectation and variance of the learned denoiser and sampling map in the linear setting. For expectations, sampling variability acts as a renormalization of the noise level through a self-consistent relation σ^2 mapsto κ(σ^2), explaining why limited data overshrink low-variance directions and pull samples toward the dataset mean. For fluctuations, our variance formulas reveal three key factors behind cross-split disagreement: anisotropy across eigenmodes, inhomogeneity across inputs, and overall scaling with dataset size. Extending deterministic-equivalence tools to fractional matrix powers further allows us to analyze entire sampling trajectories. The theory sharply predicts the behavior of linear diffusion models, and we validate its predictions on UNet and DiT architectures in their non-memorization regime, identifying where and how samples deviates across training data split. This provides a principled baseline for reproducibility in diffusion training, linking spectral properties of data to the stability of generative outputs.
RAZOR: Pruning Replaceable Experts in LLMs
Mixture-of-experts (MoE) models activate few experts per token but store the full expert pool. Expert pruning reduces this storage burden; at a fixed pruning budget, the goal is to preserve the original model's output distribution as closely as possible. Yet an expert's usage or contribution magnitude does not by itself determine the damage caused by its removal. What matters is whether the surviving computation can replace its function. We introduce RAZOR, a training-free expert pruning method that scores functional replaceability using consensus residuals: deviations of expert outputs from the original weighted mixture. An exact single-deletion identity at a fixed layer input accounts for survivor renormalization and router-selected refill, providing local scores aggregated over calibration tokens for budgeted pruning without gradients or recovery training. On GLM-4.7-Flash, Qwen3.6-35B-A3B, DeepSeek-V4-Flash-0731, and Hy3 at 25\% and 50\% expert removal, RAZOR achieves the highest nine-task macro average among the evaluated pruning methods in all eight settings. On the two backbones with matched REAP benchmark runs, it exceeds REAP by 2.12--5.59 points and wins all 36 paired task comparisons. It also lowers reverse KL relative to REAP in all four matched GLM-4.7-Flash and Qwen3.6-35B-A3B model--budget settings. Analysis of responses generated by Qwen3.6-35B-A3B nevertheless reveals changes in diversity, formatting, and termination, underscoring that task retention and predictive fidelity do not ensure generation stability.
Planckian Dissipation in Metals
We review the appearance of the Planckian time τ_Pl = hbar/(k_B T) in both conventional and unconventional metals. We give a pedagogical discussion of the various different timescales (quasiparticle, transport, many-body) that characterize metals, emphasizing conditions under which these times are the same or different. Throughout, we have attempted to clear up aspects of the problem that had been confusing us, in the hope that this helps the reader as well. We discuss the possibility of a Planckian bound on dissipation from both a quasiparticle and a many-body perspective. Planckian quasiparticles can arise naturally from a combination of inelastic scattering and mass renormalization. Many-body dynamics, on the other hand, is constrained by the basic time- and length- scales of local thermalization.
Outer Billiards on the Penrose Kite: Compactification and Renormalizaiton
In this long paper we give a fairly complete analysis of outer billiards on the Penrose kite. Our analysis reveals that this 2-dimensional non-compact system has a 3-dimensional compactification, a certain polyhedron exchange map, and that this compactification has a renormalization scheme. These two features allow us to make some sharp statements concerning the distribution, large-scale geometry, fine-scale geometry, and hidden algebraic symmetries of the orbits. For instance, one of our results is that the union of the unbounded orbits has Hausdorff dimension 1. We give a computer-aided proof of the results concerning the compactification and the renormalization. This proof involves finitely many calculations done with exact integer arithmetic.
Image Inpainting with Learnable Bidirectional Attention Maps
Most convolutional network (CNN)-based inpainting methods adopt standard convolution to indistinguishably treat valid pixels and holes, making them limited in handling irregular holes and more likely to generate inpainting results with color discrepancy and blurriness. Partial convolution has been suggested to address this issue, but it adopts handcrafted feature re-normalization, and only considers forward mask-updating. In this paper, we present a learnable attention map module for learning feature renormalization and mask-updating in an end-to-end manner, which is effective in adapting to irregular holes and propagation of convolution layers. Furthermore, learnable reverse attention maps are introduced to allow the decoder of U-Net to concentrate on filling in irregular holes instead of reconstructing both holes and known regions, resulting in our learnable bidirectional attention maps. Qualitative and quantitative experiments show that our method performs favorably against state-of-the-arts in generating sharper, more coherent and visually plausible inpainting results. The source code and pre-trained models will be available.
Predication of novel effects in rotational nuclei at high speed
The study of high-speed rotating matter is a crucial research topic in physics due to the emergence of novel phenomena. In this paper, we combined cranking covariant density functional theory (CDFT) with a similar renormalization group approach to decompose the Hamiltonian from the cranking CDFT into different Hermit components, including the non-relativistic term, the dynamical term, the spin-orbit coupling, and the Darwin term. Especially, we obtained the rotational term, the term relating to Zeeman effect-like, and the spin-rotation coupling due to consideration of rotation and spatial component of vector potential. By exploring these operators, we aim to identify novel phenomena that may occur in rotating nuclei. Signature splitting, Zeeman effect-like, spin-rotation coupling, and spin current are among the potential novelties that may arise in rotating nuclei. Additionally, we investigated the observability of these phenomena and their dependence on various factors such as nuclear deformation, rotational angular velocity, and strength of magnetic field.
Anisotropic effects in two-dimensional materials
Among a huge variety of known two-dimensional materials, some of them have anisotropic crystal structures; examples include so different systems as a few-layer black phoshphorus (phosphorene), beryllium nitride BeN_4, van der Waals magnet CrSBr, rhenium dichalgogenides ReX_2. As a consequence, their optical and electronic properties turn out to be highly anisotropic as well. In some cases, the anisotropy results not just in a smooth renormalization of observable properties in comparison with the isotropic case but in the appearance of dramatically new physics. The examples are hyperbolic plasmons and excitons, strongly anisotropic ordering of adatoms at the surface of two-dimensional or van der Waals materials, essential change of transport and superconducting properties. Here, we present a systematic review of electronic structure, transport and optical properties of several representative groups of anisotropic two-dimensional materials including semiconductors, anisotropic Dirac and semi-Dirac materials, as well as superconductors.
Hebbian learning the local structure of language
Learning in the brain is local and unsupervised (Hebbian). We derive the foundations of an effective human language model inspired by these microscopic constraints. It has two parts: (1) a hierarchy of neurons which learns to tokenize words from text (whichiswhatyoudowhenyoureadthis); and (2) additional neurons which bind the learned symanticless patterns of the tokenizer into a symanticful token (an embedding). The model permits continuous parallel learning without forgetting; and is a powerful tokenizer which performs renormalization group. This allows it to exploit redundancy, such that it generates tokens which are always decomposable into a basis set (e.g an alphabet), and can mix features learned from multiple languages. We find that the structure of this model allows it to learn a natural language morphology WITHOUT data. The language data generated by this model predicts the correct distribution of word-forming patterns observed in real languages, and further demonstrates why microscopically human speech is broken up into words. This model provides the basis for understanding the microscopic origins of language and human creativity.
Vortex screening and the fate of the BKT transition with long-range couplings
The stability of the Berezinskii--Kosterlitz--Thouless phase against long-range interactions remains an open problem. We address this question in the two-dimensional XY model with couplings decaying as r^{-2-σ}, by developing a real-space renormalization-group treatment near the Gaussian manifold of quasi-long-range ordered (QLRO) states. We retain the full many-body vortex interaction and show that, at leading order in the fugacity, screening by small vortex--antivortex pairs preserves its Gaussian-average representation without an expansion in the long-range coupling. Including spin waves perturbatively then yields a local stability criterion: a stable QLRO interval exists only for σ>7/4. We also investigate a Wilson--Fisher-like fixed point at finite coupling for σ<7/4, for which the retained flow predicts ν^{-1}sim7/4-σ as it merges with the Gaussian line.
Gravity Duals of Lifshitz-like Fixed Points
We find candidate macroscopic gravity duals for scale-invariant but non-Lorentz invariant fixed points, which do not have particle number as a conserved quantity. We compute two-point correlation functions which exhibit novel behavior relative to their AdS counterparts, and find holographic renormalization group flows to conformal field theories. Our theories are characterized by a dynamical critical exponent z, which governs the anisotropy between spatial and temporal scaling t to lambda^z t, x to lambda x; we focus on the case with z=2. Such theories describe multicritical points in certain magnetic materials and liquid crystals, and have been shown to arise at quantum critical points in toy models of the cuprate superconductors. This work can be considered a small step towards making useful dual descriptions of such critical points.
Entanglement Viscosity: from Unitarity to Irreversibility in Accelerated Frames
We demonstrate that the unitarity of quantum field theory, through the positivity of spectral functions, underlies thermodynamic irreversibility for a subsystem separated by a horizon, in direct analogy with the irreversibility of renormalization-group flows. To this end, we explicitly find the shear and bulk viscosities -- the entanglement viscosities -- for thermal radiation in Rindler space using the universal spectral representation. A direct consequence of the obtained general formulas is the relationship between the acceleration-induced shear viscosity in flat space and the conformal quantum anomaly in curved space, pointing to a possible novel probe of the conformal anomaly in systems with extreme acceleration. Moreover, for conformal field theories, we explicitly show that globally entanglement viscosity saturates the Kovtun-Son-Starinets bound.
SETOL: A Semi-Empirical Theory of (Deep) Learning
We present a SemiEmpirical Theory of Learning (SETOL) that explains the remarkable performance of State-Of-The-Art (SOTA) Neural Networks (NNs). We provide a formal explanation of the origin of the fundamental quantities in the phenomenological theory of Heavy-Tailed Self-Regularization (HTSR): the heavy-tailed power-law layer quality metrics, alpha and alpha-hat. In prior work, these metrics have been shown to predict trends in the test accuracies of pretrained SOTA NN models, importantly, without needing access to either testing or training data. Our SETOL uses techniques from statistical mechanics as well as advanced methods from random matrix theory and quantum chemistry. The derivation suggests new mathematical preconditions for ideal learning, including a new metric, ERG, which is equivalent to applying a single step of the Wilson Exact Renormalization Group. We test the assumptions and predictions of SETOL on a simple 3-layer multilayer perceptron (MLP), demonstrating excellent agreement with the key theoretical assumptions. For SOTA NN models, we show how to estimate the individual layer qualities of a trained NN by simply computing the empirical spectral density (ESD) of the layer weight matrices and plugging this ESD into our SETOL formulas. Notably, we examine the performance of the HTSR alpha and the SETOL ERG layer quality metrics, and find that they align remarkably well, both on our MLP and on SOTA NNs.
CMT-Benchmark: A Benchmark for Condensed Matter Theory Built by Expert Researchers
Large language models (LLMs) have shown remarkable progress in coding and math problem-solving, but evaluation on advanced research-level problems in hard sciences remains scarce. To fill this gap, we present CMT-Benchmark, a dataset of 50 problems covering condensed matter theory (CMT) at the level of an expert researcher. Topics span analytical and computational approaches in quantum many-body, and classical statistical mechanics. The dataset was designed and verified by a panel of expert researchers from around the world. We built the dataset through a collaborative environment that challenges the panel to write and refine problems they would want a research assistant to solve, including Hartree-Fock, exact diagonalization, quantum/variational Monte Carlo, density matrix renormalization group (DMRG), quantum/classical statistical mechanics, and model building. We evaluate LLMs by programmatically checking solutions against expert-supplied ground truth. We developed machine-grading, including symbolic handling of non-commuting operators via normal ordering. They generalize across tasks too. Our evaluations show that frontier models struggle with all of the problems in the dataset, highlighting a gap in the physical reasoning skills of current LLMs. Notably, experts identified strategies for creating increasingly difficult problems by interacting with the LLMs and exploiting common failure modes. The best model, GPT5, solves 30\% of the problems; average across 17 models (GPT, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek, Llama) is 11.4pm2.1\%. Moreover, 18 problems are solved by none of the 17 models, and 26 by at most one. These unsolved problems span Quantum Monte Carlo, Variational Monte Carlo, and DMRG. Answers sometimes violate fundamental symmetries or have unphysical scaling dimensions. We believe this benchmark will guide development toward capable AI research assistants and tutors.
Chemical Reaction due to Stronger Ramachandran Interaction
The origin of a chemical reaction between two reactant atoms is associated to the activation energy, with the assumption that, high-energy collisions between these atoms, are the ones that overcome the activation energy. Here, we (i) show that a stronger attractive van der Waals (vdW) and electron-ion Coulomb interactions between two polarized atoms are responsible to initiate a chemical reaction, either before or after the collision. We derive this stronger vdW attraction formula exactly using the quasi one-dimensional Drude model within the ionization energy theory and the energy-level spacing renormalization group method. Along the way, we (ii) expose the precise physical mechanism responsible for the existence of a stronger vdW interaction for both long and short distances, and also show how to technically avoid the electron-electron Coulomb repulsion between polarized electrons from these two reactant atoms. Finally, we properly and correctly associate the existence of this stronger attraction to Ramachandran's 'normal limits' (distance shorter than what is allowed by the standard vdW bond) between chemically nonbonded atoms.
PLDR-LLMs Reason At Self-Organized Criticality
We show that PLDR-LLMs pretrained at self-organized criticality exhibit reasoning at inference time. The characteristics of PLDR-LLM deductive outputs at criticality is similar to second-order phase transitions. At criticality, the correlation length diverges, and the deductive outputs attain a metastable steady state. The steady state behaviour suggests that deductive outputs learn representations equivalent to scaling functions, universality classes and renormalization groups from the training dataset, leading to generalization and reasoning capabilities in the process. We can then define an order parameter from the global statistics of the model's deductive output parameters at inference. The reasoning capabilities of a PLDR-LLM is better when its order parameter is close to zero at criticality. This observation is supported by the benchmark scores of the models trained at near-criticality and sub-criticality. Our results provide a self-contained explanation on how reasoning manifests in large language models, and the ability to reason can be quantified solely from global model parameter values of the deductive outputs at steady state, without any need for evaluation of curated benchmark datasets through inductive output for reasoning and comprehension.
Critical curve of two-matrix models $ABBA$, $A\{B,A\}B$ and $ABAB$, Part I: Monte Carlo
For a family of two-matrix models \[ 1{2} Tr(A^2+B^2) - g{4} Tr(A^4+B^4) - cases h{2} Tr( A BA B) \\ h{4} Tr( A BA B+ ABBA ) \\ h{2} Tr( A B BA ) cases \] with hermitian A and B, we provide, in each case, a Monte Carlo estimate of the boundary of the maximal convergence domain in the (h,g)-plane. The results are discussed comparing with exact solutions (in agreement with the only analytically solved case) and phase diagrams obtained by means of the functional renormalization group.
Clifford algebra Cl(0,6) approach to beyond the standard model and naturalness problems
Is there more to Dirac's gamma matrices than meets the eye? It turns out that gamma zero can be factorized into a product of three operators. This revelation facilitates the expansion of Dirac's space-time algebra to Clifford algebra Cl(0,6). The resultant rich geometric structure can be leveraged to establish a combined framework of the standard model and gravity, wherein a gravi-weak interaction between the extended vierbein field and the extended weak gauge field is allowed. In conjunction with the composite Higgs model, we examine the vierbein field as a Cooper-pair-like fermion-antifermion condensation. Quantum gravity is realized indirectly via the quantized standard model spinor fields which underlie the composite space-time metric. We propose that the fundamental energy scales of the universe including the Planck scale are emergent and resulted from quantum condensations, thus possibly addressing the cosmological constant problem through an unconventional multi-scale renormalization procedure for multiplications of divergent Feynman integrals. The Clifford algebra approach also permits a weaker form of charge conjugation without particle-antiparticle interchange, leading to a Majorana-type mass that conserves lepton number. Additionally, with reshuffling the traditional quark-lepton pairing pattern of three generations of fermions, we explore a three-Higgs-doublet model with Higgs VEVs 246 GeV, 42 GeV and 2.5 GeV which could explain the mass hierarchies of fermions.
Fast Weight Attention for Continual Learning
Recurrent fast-weight memories and selective state-space models compress an expanding context into a fixed-size recurrent state, making the state transition an online learning rule. We study this rule under read-after-write autoregressive semantics. For the prefix-prediction objective considered here, the local fast-memory example revealed at step t is the prefix-aligned pair (x_t,y_t)=(ϕ(k_{t-1}),v_t). The common same-step association (ϕ(k_t),v_t) remains causal, but optimizes a different internal objective. We derive normalized first-order updates for squared-error regression and negative inner-product objectives. The regression family comprises Falcon-1 (a scalar NLMS update), Falcon-2 (its per-column extension), and Falcon-3 (a sliding-window mini-batch update); Falcon-1A/Falcon-2A/Falcon-3A are the corresponding inner-product variants. We provide recurrent, masked-parallel, and chunk-parallel forms, together with numerically stable positive-decay renormalization. Representative variants remain competitive in language modeling and improve length extrapolation on variable-digit addition. This framework separates temporal alignment, plasticity, forgetting, and bounded rehearsal in recurrent sequence models.
The Quantum Transition of the Two-Dimensional Ising Spin Glass: A Tale of Two Gaps
Quantum annealers are commercial devices aiming to solve very hard computational problems named spin glasses. Just like in metallurgic annealing one slowly cools a ferrous metal, quantum annealers seek good solutions by slowly removing the transverse magnetic field at the lowest possible temperature. The field removal diminishes quantum fluctuations but forces the system to traverse the critical point that separates the disordered phase (at large fields) from the spin-glass phase (at small fields). A full understanding of this phase transition is still missing. A debated, crucial question regards the closing of the energy gap separating the ground state from the first excited state. All hopes of achieving an exponential speed-up, as compared to classical computers, rest on the assumption that the gap will close algebraically with the number of qspins, but renormalization group calculations predict that the closing will be instead exponential. Here we solve this debate through extreme-scale numerical simulations, finding that both parties grasped parts of the truth. While the closing of the gap at the critical point is indeed super-algebraic, it remains algebraic if one restricts the symmetry of possible excitations. Since this symmetry restriction is experimentally achievable (at least nominally), there is still hope for the Quantum Annealing paradigm.
A Two-Variable Zeta Function for a Parity-Perturbed Hofstadter Q-Recursion: The Exceptional t = -1 Slice and Gaussian Boundary Layers
We study the parity-perturbed Hofstadter Q-recursion $ widetilde Q(1)=widetilde Q(2)=1,qquad widetilde Q(n)=widetilde Q(n-widetilde Q(n-1)) +widetilde Q(n-widetilde Q(n-2))+(-1)^n, and the associated two-variable Dirichlet series Z_{widetilde Q}(s,t)=sum_{nge1}n^{-s}widetilde Q(n)^{-t}. The estimate \widetilde Q(n)=n/2+O(n/\log n) gives the exact domain of absolute convergence Re(s+t)>1. With w=s+t, we separate the universal term 2^tζ(w) and derive exact transport, frequency-position, and dyadic renormalization identities. The main result concerns t=-1. For E(n)=2\widetilde Q(n)-n and A(X)=\sum_{n\le X}E(n), the binary-arch clock yields A(X)=Xlog_2X+XΩ!left(log_23X{32}right) +O!left(X{log X}right), where Ω is an explicit continuous periodic function. This continues the normalized correction to Rew>0 and yields a boundary resonance lattice: a double resonance at w=0 and simple resonances at 2πi m/\log2. After subtracting the full-slice order-X skeleton, we analyze the negative-even arch channel. Its companion-forest layers have a weak Gaussian limit, and a canonical subsequence realizes the optimal n/\log n pointwise scale with an explicit signed constant. The negative-arch mass satisfies A_r=512{92π}16^r{sqrt r} left(1-13{16r}+O(r^{-2})right). We do not claim a full-slice continuation across Rew=0$.
Risk-Set Transported Synthetic Control with Difference-in-Differences Adjustment under Staggered Treatment Adoption
In staggered treatment-adoption designs, later-treated units are valid controls for an earlier-treated cohort only until their own treatment begins, so the admissible donor set contracts with event time. Fixing the donor pool at the longest horizon discards temporarily eligible donors, whereas re-estimating synthetic-control weights independently at each horizon can make the counterfactual unstable as donor composition changes. We propose Risk-Set Transported Synthetic Control with Difference-in-Differences Adjustment (RT-SC-DiD). For each cohort and event-time horizon, the estimator fits weights on the currently untreated donors while shrinking them toward a transported reference that reallocates the weight of exiting donors to similar surviving donors. A DiD baseline correction removes persistent level differences. We characterize distortion from horizon-by-horizon reoptimization, derive the loading change induced by naive deletion and renormalization, and give a conditional recursive bound for error propagation under an explicitly assumed regularity condition on the transport map. We also introduce donor-support diagnostics and a donor-only placebo procedure for selecting the transport penalty. In an 80-replication pilot comparison and a separate 40-replication-per-value sensitivity analysis, intermediate transport regularization reduces average RMSE relative to independent horizon-specific estimation and strong anchoring. This evidence supports the method's bias-variance motivation but is not a proved guarantee. RT-SC-DiD is intended for settings where later-treated units provide useful short-horizon information and donor support contracts materially over time. Existing staggered synthetic-control and synthetic difference-in-differences methods do not, to our knowledge, explicitly regularize within-cohort weight sequences toward transported references as risk sets contract.
Global solutions to the two-dimensional compressible MHD equations with density-dependent bulk viscosity
We study the two-dimensional periodic resistive compressible magnetohydrodynamic equations with constant shear viscosity and magnetic diffusivity, bulk viscosity ρ^β, and pressure ρ^γ. For every β>1 and γ>1, we construct global finite-energy renormalized weak solutions from strictly positive bounded W^{1,q} densities, q>2, and arbitrary H^1 velocity and magnetic data. The construction combines approximation-independent finite density moments, generalized effective-flux identities, and a joint logarithmic renormalization of the density and its entropy defect. An augmented relative energy containing the β-power density potential yields weak--strong uniqueness against positive H^2 strong solutions for the same full pressure range. We also establish global strong existence for a large-background family when γ>max{5-2β,β+1}. Writing m=intρ_0, the density perturbation is bounded in the scaled norm m^{(γ-3)/2}|ρ_0-m|_{H^2}, while the fixed H^2 velocity and magnetic norms need not be small. For sufficiently large m, frequency-dependent acoustic dissipation, staged vorticity weights, and a separate initial-layer flux estimate close a simultaneous bootstrap. The admissible pressure exponents have infimum 7/3, with the endpoint excluded. For β>2 the relevant damping rate is the minimum of the viscous and pressure-relaxation rates; keeping both rates extends the argument without an upper restriction on β. The strong theorem has no upper restriction on γ under this scaled density hypothesis; for fixed additive density perturbations it applies in the stated lower range up to γ=3.
A non-invertible Fibonacci selection rule for two-Higgs-doublet models
We study two-Higgs-doublet models, extensions of the Standard Model (SM) containing two Higgs doublets rather than one. Tree-level Higgs-mediated interactions that change quark or lepton flavor are conventionally suppressed by a discrete Z_2 symmetry. Motivated by string compactifications, we instead impose a non-invertible Fibonacci selection rule at a matching scale Λ for that purpose. This rule also forbids the independent mass parameter that normally allows the additional Higgs particles to become arbitrarily heavy, while renormalization-group evolution regenerates it below Λ. An allowed Z_2-breaking quartic interaction simultaneously avoids stable cosmological domain walls. In the exact alignment limit, requiring perturbative unitarity and boundedness from below up to the matching scale bounds the masses of the three non-SM Higgs states; for Λ=10^{19},GeV, they lie below about 150,GeV. The scanned parameter space predicts a suppressed Higgs diphoton signal strength within the projected reach of the HL-LHC. This illustrates how a stringy non-invertible selection rule can leave testable signatures in Higgs physics.
High-Accuracy Semi-Analytic Mode Functions, Ultraviolet Regularity, and Particle Creation in the Hybrid Approach to mLQC-I
We construct high-accuracy semi-analytic mode functions for scalar cosmological perturbations in mLQC-I within the hybrid approach to study ultraviolet regularity and gravitational particle creation. The evolution comprises an asymptotic pre-de Sitter branch, a pre-inflationary region containing the quantum bounce, and inflation. In the intermediate region, we construct the complete third-order uniform asymptotic solution and introduce adaptive defect correction. The third-order approximation achieves sub-percent complex-mode accuracy for representative higher-wavenumber modes; defect-corrected solutions agree with numerical evolution at the 0.00001% level over the tested low-wavenumber range. Retaining amplitudes and phases provides a controlled basis for future precision calculations of primordial power spectra and non-Gaussian correlations. We compare the de Sitter vacuum selected in the remote contracting branch with a fourth-order adiabatic state imposed at the bounce. Finite-wavenumber matching and the strict ultraviolet limit require different asymptotic treatments: extrapolating the leading connection to infinite wavenumber yields a spurious constant negative-frequency coefficient and an apparent ultraviolet divergence. Instead, the large-wavenumber de Sitter mode agrees with the fourth-order adiabatic expansion through the order required for energy-momentum tensor renormalization, and smooth exact evolution preserves this ultraviolet structure. Finite and intermediate modes can nevertheless undergo nonadiabatic Bogoliubov mixing and particle creation. Finite-mode particle production thus coexists with ultraviolet regularity. The ultraviolet argument also extends to the dressed-metric approach in its corresponding large-wavenumber regime, while quantitative mode functions must be recalculated using its effective mass.
Interacting quantum criticality with U(1) symmetry breaking in 1+1 dimensions
The Hohenberg-Mermin-Wagner theorem motivates the expectation that continuous symmetries remain unbroken in one-dimensional quantum ground states. Here, contrary to this expectation, we demonstrate the spontaneous breaking of U(1) spin-rotation symmetry and the emergence of an interacting quantum critical point in lattice spin-1/2 and spin-1 chains. Using subsystem Binder scaling, we locate the critical point and determine the correlation-length critical exponent as ν= 0.60 pm 0.02, distinct from the Gaussian value 0.5 but consistent with the perturbative renormalization-group prediction. We further analyze the finite-size scaling of the lowest neutral excitation gap and obtain the dynamical critical exponent z=1.986 pm 0.005. The result z < 2 is incompatible with microscopic realizations of this critical theory by frustration-free models, implying a mechanism for continuous symmetry breaking in one-dimensional quantum ground states distinct from frustration freeness.
Stochastic PDE construction of some non-local or non-translation-invariant Anderson operators in the full subcritical regime
We construct Anderson-type operators in the full subcritical regime via a SPDE argument. Our work encompasses perturbations by a Gaussian noise of the fractional Laplacian on the torus or on the full space, and of the harmonic oscillator on the full space. In every case, we are able to derive an optimal estimate on the difference between the solution and the deterministic heat flow, which allows us to get a Weyl law for the fractional case on the torus and for the harmonic oscillator case, and so in the full subcritical regime. For the non-translation-invariant operator, the main novelty is that we develop a general argument in order to prove how to renormalise the operator with some constants. The SPDE argument uses the flow approach introduced by Duch. To construct the operators, we use the Hille-Yosida theorem for the fractional Laplacian on the torus and the harmonic oscillator, and the Klein-Landau theorem for the fractional Laplacian in the full space.
XTC: Head-Aware Sampling by Excluding Top Choices
Standard decoding rules for autoregressive language models promote diversity by rescaling the full next-token distribution or truncating its low-probability tail. These strategies overlook a common regime of open-ended generation in which several continuations are plausible but too much probability mass remains concentrated on the most generic choice. We introduce XTC (Exclude Top Choices), a lightweight head-aware decoding operator that targets this regime directly. XTC identifies tokens whose probabilities exceed an absolute plausibility threshold τ: when at least two qualify, it removes the dominant eligible choices with probability ρ and retains only the weakest plausible alternative before renormalization. Across 60 experiments on Gemma 3 27B Q4, Gemma 3 12B Q6, and DeepSeek R1 14B Q6, with scaling validation on Llama 3.3 70B Q4, XTC improves the diversity-repetition Pareto frontier. On creative generation, Distinct-2 increases by 11--15% and repeat trigrams decrease by 27--47% across the four models. Combined with temperature scaling, gains reach 38% in Distinct-2 and 71% in repeat-trigram reduction over baseline. A blinded Amazon Mechanical Turk study with 150 Master raters yields a 62.3% creativity preference for XTC (p<10^{-4}) without reduced fluency, while a GPT-4o control judge reproduces the Anthropic-judge direction on every measure. On IFEval with Llama 3.3 70B Q4, XTC preserves prompt-level strict accuracy within 1.7 percentage points of baseline while recovering most of the diversity gain; a temperature setting matched on Distinct-2 reduces IFEval by 8.8 points. The effect is additive with temperature and repetition penalties, robust across quantization levels and model families, and consistent across twelve prompt genres. XTC has been adopted by llama.cpp, ExLlamaV2, and text-generation-webui.
Retrieval Capacity of Self-Attention Under Competition
How many tokens from its context does a language model actually use, and what determines that number? We study this question through self-attention. Without retraining, we retain only the tokens with the highest attention weights at each head, layer, and query, keeping their original weights unchanged. By varying the selected set size and measuring the increase in negative log-likelihood (NLL), we estimate the effective attention set size needed to stay within a chosen loss tolerance. Relatively small selected sets can keep NLL close to the full-attention baseline, although the required size varies across models. Attention-based selection substantially outperforms random selection. Selected sets exhibit geometric structure, although geometric separation alone does not establish that model loss is preserved. Extending context while evaluating the same prediction targets increases the required set size, while its fraction of context decreases over the tested range. Experiments with a fixed supporting fact show that additional background pushes its tokens down the attention ranking and reduces their attention mass. Renormalizing the retained weights can substantially reduce the required set size, showing that it also depends on how selected representations are combined. Conditional theoretical models explain how competition and attention-mass retention can produce growing set sizes without more distinct information to retrieve. These results provide a way to measure effective attention set size in language models and investigate its dependence on context, competition, and aggregation.
