Sumit Kumar, Max Melching, Frank Ohme, Harsh Narola, Tom Dooney, Chris Van Den Broeck
Apr 23, 2026·astro-ph.HE·PDF Systematic errors in the parameter estimation (PE) of gravitational wave (GW) mergers can arise from various sources, including waveform systematics, noise mischaracterization, data analysis artifacts, and other unknown factors. In this study, we analyze selected events from the first three observing runs of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) collaboration. We choose events that have been flagged in various studies as potentially affected by systematic errors. Here, we reanalyze these events using a couple of parametric models developed in previous work that incorporate uncertainties in both the phase and amplitude of the GW waveform. In this data-driven approach, we apply sufficiently broad priors on the uncertainty parameters to account for potential systematic errors. Our findings show that the proposed method effectively reduces systematic errors, even those arising from data artifacts, such as glitches occurring near a signal and the deglitching process in GW frame files. Similarly, inconsistent results from different waveform models become much more consistent in our framework. One noteworthy event we examine is GW191109\_010717, which is particularly interesting due to its anti-aligned spin properties. We report that, within our framework, the event still exhibits anti-aligned spin characteristics, but the inference results become consistent across raw and deglitched frame files, as well as across the waveform models used for this event (IMRPhenomXPHM, IMRPhenomXO4a, and NRSur7dq4). A similar trend is observed for the event GW200129\_065458, which previously yielded a high, but inconsistent precession parameter among different waveform models. In contrast, we observe a non-zero and consistent value of $χ_{p}=0.60^{+0.31}_{-0.33}, 0.58^{+0.30}_{-0.29}$ and $0.56^{+0.31}_{-0.28}$ for the IMRPhenomXPHM, IMRPhenomXO4a, and NRSur7dq4 waveform models, respectively.
Cédric Deffayet, Atabak Fathe Jalali, Aaron Held, Shinji Mukohyama, Alexander Vikman
We quantize a classically stable system of a harmonic oscillator polynomially coupled to a ghost with negative kinetic energy. We prove that due to an integral of motion with a positive discrete spectrum: i) the Hamiltonian has a pure point spectrum unbounded in both directions, ii) the evolution is manifestly unitary, iii) the vacuum is well-defined, iv) expectation values for squares of canonical variables are bounded. Numerical solutions of the Schrödinger equation confirm these results. We argue that the discrete spectrum of the integral of motion enforces stability for extended interactions.
Sudip Halder, Jaume de Haro, Supriya Pan, Emmanuel N. Saridakis, Tapan Saha, Subenoy Chakraborty
This article opens new window to obtain accelerating scaling attractors without any need of dark energy. We study cosmological dynamics in a two-fluid system where pressureless dark matter (DM) undergoes adiabatic particle creation and exchanges energy with a barotropic fluid. Considering six widely used interaction prescriptions, we formulate the corresponding autonomous systems in a compact phase space and perform a unified dynamical analysis. We find that accelerating scaling attractors, namely late-time states where both fluids coexist with fixed energy fractions, arise only when the interaction is controlled by the DM density and energy flows from DM to the second fluid. Such attractors appear in the global and local DM-based interactions, and in the global mixed case, but are entirely absent when the interaction depends on the second fluid or on local mixed terms, which instead drive the universe to a DM-dominated accelerating phase. These results clarify the unique conditions under which matter creation can mimic dark-energy-like behaviour without introducing a dark-energy component.
Shi-Cheng Liu, Lei-Hua Liu, Bichu Li, Hai-Qing Zhang, Peng-Zhang He
In this work, we systematically investigate the quantum-information diagnostics of cosmological perturbations with a nontrivial sound speed, utilizing a normalized open two-mode squeezed-state framework. Rather than introducing new observables, our analysis focuses on how a modified sound speed dynamically reshapes the Schrödinger evolution of the squeezing parameters ($r_k$ and $φ_k$). We demonstrate how these dynamical changes are inherited by the reduced density matrix of the observable sector. By employing a sound-speed-resonance parametrization, we derive and evaluate the purity, von Neumann entropy, Rényi entropies, and logarithmic negativity. To overcome the intrinsic multiscale stiffness of the post-inflationary equations, we introduce a bounded variable $x = \tanh r_k$ as a partial regularization, which enables reliable numerical simulations exclusively within the inflationary regime. Our numerical results reveal that a nontrivial sound speed significantly suppresses the purity of the reduced state, indicating enhanced effective mixedness. Simultaneously, it strongly amplifies and modulates both the entropic and entanglement diagnostics. More precisely, a nontrivial sound speed postpones the onset of classicality by modulating the decoherence process. Ultimately, we show that a nontrivial sound speed leaves distinct and identifiable quantum-information signatures within the entanglement structure of the early universe.
Shubhashis Mallik, Gaurav Narain
Gravitational path-integral over $\mathbb{R}\times S^3$ complex metrics with fluctuations is studied in 4D for Einstein-Hilbert gravity in Lorentzian signature, with the aim to investigate the IR properties of complex saddles for various boundary choices. General covariance doesn't allow arbitrary boundary choices for the background and fluctuations. In the ADM-decomposition, while imposing ``no-boundary'' condition at the initial boundary, two scenarios are considered for the final boundary: Dirichlet and fixed extrinsic curvature. Universe undergoes transition from a Euclidean to Lorentzian phase in either scenario, where the dominant saddle in Euclidean phase correspond to a Euclidean metric (imaginary time), while the Lorentzian phase has two complex metrics as dominant saddles which superimpose. One-loop corrected lapse action is computed using Hurwitz-Zeta regularization. UV-divergences canceled by suitable counter terms lead to a renormalized lapse action. One-loop renormalized Hartle-Hawking wave-function is computed using the Picard-Lefschetz and WKB methods, where the contributions coming from the metric-fluctuations show secularly growing infrared divergences as the Universe expands. This is compared with the situation in pure Lorentzian dS, corresponding to a Universe transitioning from an initial state of vanishing conjugate momenta to final state of fixed extrinsic curvature, thereby giving real saddles. Picard-Lefschetz methods alone are not sufficient to overcome the technical hurdles in the one-loop computation, which needs to be supplemented by an $iε$-prescription, achieved via slight complexification of the cosmological constant $Λ$. The UV renormalized one-loop dS wavefunction has the same leading IR divergence as for the Hartle-Hawking no-boundary Universe. Interestingly for all boundary choices considered, the saddles remain KSW-allowed.
Andronikos Paliathanasis, Kevin J. Duffy
Apr 23, 2026·astro-ph.CO·PDF We introduce a family of phenomenological cosmological models featuring an interacting dark sector modulated by a sparseness scale parameter, in order to describe the late-time accelerated expansion of the universe. The sparseness scale, inspired by well-established saturation mechanisms in ecology and biology, is introduced in the interaction as a half-saturation constant that bounds the energy exchange between dark matter and dark energy, controls the dynamical behaviour of the physical variables and can prevent the phantom crossing. We consider three nonlinear interacting models, where two of them recover the linear interacting scenarios when the sparsity parameter vanishes. We examine the phase-space of the cosmological field equations by using the Hubble normalization approach. We determine the stationary points and their stability properties in order to reconstruct the asymptotics behaviour of the field equations. Such an analysis allows us to demonstrate the effects of the sparseness scale on the background dynamics. We test the interacting models with observational data. Specifically, we employ Supernovae catalogues, cosmic chronometers, Baryon Acoustic Oscillation measurements from DESI DR2, and redshift-space distortion measurements of the growth of large-scale structure through the $f$ and $fσ_8$ observables. The Bayesian analysis suggests that, for two of the three models, a vanishing sparsity parameter is disfavoured at more than the 95\% confidence interval, providing observational support for a nonzero sparseness scale in the dark sector interaction.
Atrideb Chatterjee, Barun Maity, Koushiki
Apr 23, 2026·astro-ph.CO·PDF The 21-cm signal, one of the most promising probes of the high-redshift Universe, has traditionally been modelled without accounting for the effects of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the pre-JWST era, primarily due to the lack of observational evidence for AGNs at z > 6. However, following the discovery of several AGNs at redshifts as high as z ~ 10 by JWST, it has become imperative to incorporate the impact of these early AGNs when predicting the 21-cm signal. Supposing that these AGNs are seeded by primordial black holes (PBHs), we study their impact with a semi-numerical model setup. Specifically, we extended the explicitly photon-conserving reionization framework, SCRIPT, including essential cosmic dawn physics and PBH contributions. This enables us to compute both the global signal and the power spectrum of the 21-cm line over the redshift range z ~ 30 - 5 within a self-consistent framework. Building on this setup, we then investigate the impact of different PBH mass functions (obeying current observational constraints) on the resulting signal. The X-ray heating from PBHs can substantially make the depth of the global 21-cm signal shallower and suppress the expected power amplitude during cosmic dawn. We also find that the choice of mass function plays a crucial role in shaping the 21-cm signal, and can, in fact, lead to significantly different predictions.
Marek Rogatko, Karol I. Wysokinski
We have considered the problem of the influence of inhomogeneity of gravitational field on transport effects predicted by the field theory describing massless Dirac fermions in the Maxwell and dark matter background. As a model of dark sector one takes into account dark photon model, where the hidden sector is described by the auxiliary U(1)-gauge field coupled to the visible sector. Elaborating the model we restrict our considerations to the case when Weyl type conformal transformation slightly differs from the Minkowski spacetime. This assumption simplifies the calculations and enables us not to use complicated methods of the quantum field theory in the curved background. The resulting currents stemming both from visible and dark sectors are proportional to the adequate beta functions appearing in the elaborated systems. For charge-less dark sector we predict corrections to the scale conductivities in both sectors: linear in α in the dark sector and quadratic in the visible one.
Fengting Xie, Zhi-Chao Zhao, Qing-Hua Zhu, Xin Li
The recent detection of a stochastic gravitational wave background by pulsar timing arrays has opened a new window in understanding supermassive black hole binaries and in probing the universe at the early time. Recently, pulsar timing array (PTA) collaborations have been further paving the way to probe anisotropies in the stochastic gravitational wave background. This study investigates dipole-type statistical anisotropy in the primordial power spectrum within a phenomenological framework. We demonstrate that the primordial dipole induces both dipolar and quadrupolar anisotropies in the energy density spectrum of scalar-induced gravitational waves (SIGWs), without generating extra polarization modes. Based on this anisotropic spectrum, we derive the corresponding PTA overlap reduction functions (ORFs), which exhibit frequency dependence, with the anisotropies enhanced on small scales. Furthermore, owing to the non-uniform distribution of millisecond pulsars over the sky in current PTA dataset, the ORFs exhibit a morphology that explicitly depends on the preferred direction of the anisotropy. However, our bayesian analysis of the NANOGrav 15-year dataset still yields no significant evidence for a preferred direction and a weak upper limit on anisotropy amplitude $(g\lesssim0.5)$. This result arises because the observational frequency band lies below the spectral peak, where our models predict suppressed anisotropic contributions. This limitation highlights the potential of future PTA observations. Specifically, datasets with broader frequency coverage are expected to tighten constraints on dipole-type anisotropy.
Zijian Liu, Wenfu Cao
This paper presents a systematic study of the chaotic dynamics of charged test particles around purely magnetically charged black holes immersed in a uniform external magnetic field within the framework of Einstein-ModMax theory. By constructing an explicit symplectic integrator, we obtain high-precision numerical solutions of the equations of motion. Combining the observational constraints from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) shadow images, we further restrict the parameter ranges of the model. We apply Shannon entropy and MIPP (mutual information for particle pairs) as effective indicators to identify the chaotic behavior of charged test particles in the spacetime of this black hole. Numerical results indicate that these indicators can clearly distinguish between regular and chaotic motion of orbits in strong gravitational field systems. Further analysis reveals that, compared to the key conserved quantities that determine the global dynamical behavior of the system -- energy $E$ and angular momentum $L$, the sensitivity of the system parameters $e^{-ν}$ and $Q_{m}$ to transitions in the orbital dynamical states is significantly reduced. This study provides a new perspective for a deeper understanding of the characterization and evolution mechanisms of chaotic dynamics in strong gravitational fields.
Tianyou Ren, Jing-Ya Zhao, Xiaomei Liu, Rong-Jia Yang
We investigate the shadow, timelike geodesic structure, radiation properties of thin accretion disks, and optical appearance of a static spherically symmetric regular black hole, constructed based on the Dehnen-type density profile. Using observational data from M87* and Sgr A*, we constrain the model parameter $a$ at both $1σ$ and $2σ$ confidence levels. Based on the Page--Thorne model, we calculate the local radiative flux, redshift factor distribution, and the radiation flux received by a distant observer, systematically examining the effects of the parameter $a$ and the viewing angle on the black hole image. The results show that larger $a$ will enlarge the effective radiation area of the accretion disk and significantly enhance the asymmetry and Doppler boosting effects of the direct and secondary images at large viewing angles.
Akriti Garg, Ayan Chatterjee
The paper develops a model to understand the effective quantum geometry of a black hole horizon and the emission of Hawking spectrum in 2+1 dimensions. We argue that one may view the black hole horizon as formed out of quantised lengths of elementary quanta of value $8π\ell_{P}\, n$, where $n\in \mathbb{N}$, and $\ell_{P}$ is the Planck length. To an observer near the black hole horizon, the entropy (or length of horizon cross-section) is related to the black hole energy. Hence, one may develop a formulation of length ensemble (similar to the area canonical ensemble of Krasnov) from which the black body spectrum may be obtained directly. To this local observer, the temperature of the Hawking spectrum is modified due to the Tolman factor.
Stephon Alexander, Pisin Chen, Jinglong Liu, Antonino Marciano, Misao Sasaki, Xuan-Lin Su
Fermion condensate inflation, where inflation emerges from four-fermion interactions induced by spacetime torsion, removes the need for additional scalar fields beyond the Standard Model. In this framework, the fermion field can be decomposed into two distinguished sectors, each giving rise to bound states. After integrating out fermions, the bound fields play the roles of the inflaton and the auxiliary fields, resembling hybrid inflation with a waterfall mechanism. The inclusion of an axial chemical potential naturally introduces a mechanism to end inflation and trigger instant preheating. During the waterfall phase, the effective potential of the fermion condensate supports the formation of non-topological solitons such as Q-balls, which act as seeds of primordial black holes. This model is intrinsically connected to Chern-Simons gravity, which implies a parity-violating universe. Consequently, both the primordial black hole (PBH) dark-matter abundance and parity-violation signatures could provide observational tests of the model.
Donato Bini, Thibault Damour, Andrea Geralico
We study the quadrupolar part of the gravitational waveform $h_{ij}$ (encoded in the helicity-($-2)$ radiative quadrupole moment $U_2 = \frac{1}{2!} \bar m^{i} \bar m^{j } U_{i j} \in\frac{R}{4G} \bar m^{i} \bar m^{j } h_{i j}\equiv W $) emitted during the scattering of two masses. Working within the Multipolar Post-Minkowskian (MPM) formalism, we compute the time-domain value of $U_2$ at the third-and-a-half post-Newtonian (3.5PN) accuracy by using the 3.5PN radiation-reacted quasi-Keplerian representation of the hyperbolic motion. We then explicitly evaluate the {\it frequency-domain} value of $U_2$ up to the 2-loop level, i.e. $ O(G^4)$ contributions to $h_{ij}(ω, θ,φ)$, corresponding to $O(G^3)$ contributions to $\hat U_2(ω, θ,φ)$. The nonlinear memory contribution to the waveform in the center-of-mass frame is computed too, and checked against the soft-limit of the waveform. The 1-loop truncation of our 3.5PN frequency-domain MPM waveform is found to agree with corresponding existing Effective Field Theory (EFT) results when subtracting the dipolar part of the Veneziano-Vilkovisky supertranslation connecting the MPM and EFT Bondi-Metzner-Sachs (BMS) frames.
Biswajit Das
Apr 23, 2026·astro-ph.CO·PDF We investigate the viability of Tsallis holographic dark energy (THDE) models, focusing on the role of the infrared (IR) cutoff in the growth of cosmic structures. Considering two commonly used choices of the cutoff, the particle horizon and the future event horizon, we analyze the evolution of linear matter perturbations and compute the growth factor, growth rate, and the observable $fσ_8(z)$. These predictions are compared with observational data from redshift-space distortion measurements. We find that the growth history is highly sensitive to the choice of IR cutoff. Models based on the future event horizon are consistent with observational data and can provide a fit comparable to, or slightly better than, the $Λ$CDM model for suitable values of the Tsallis parameter $δ$. In contrast, models constructed using the particle horizon generally fail to reproduce the observed growth of structure. These results demonstrate that the viability of THDE models depends crucially on the choice of IR cutoff and highlight the importance of structure formation as a stringent test of generalized holographic dark energy scenarios.
Umut Gürsoy, Pedro Vicente Marto, Edwan Préau
We construct asymptotically AdS$_5$ black brane solutions in a theory of gravity with an infinite series of curvature corrections. The action is based on an $O(d,d)$ symmetric ansatz which has been argued to describe the classical NSNS sector of string theories. We find that, for this general class of theories, the singularity behind the horizon is not resolved by the curvature corrections. The approach to the singularity is however generically modified, being characterized by different Kasner exponents. We also show that, in the presence of a non-trivial dilaton, a slight generalization of these types of curvature corrections can generate dynamically a negative cosmological constant in the region of small coupling. This provides a mechanism through which asymptotic freedom could emerge in the hypothetical string dual of QCD.
Khandro K Chokyi, Abdel Nasser Tawfik, Surajit Chattopadhyay
This study investigates the non-singular bounce within the framework of Myrzakulov-type $f(R,T) = R + αT + βT^2$ gravity by adopting a Chaplygin gas equation of state. We employ two methodologies: a reconstruction scheme via a symmetric scale factor ansatz (Model I) and an autonomous dynamical system analysis (Model II). Our results indicate that the quadratic trace parameter $β$ acts as a primary physical driver; specifically, for $β< 0$, the matter-geometry coupling generates sufficient geometric repulsion to effectively violate the Null Energy Condition (NEC) at high densities without the requirement of exotic matter fields. A numerical scan of the $(β, ρ_0)$ parameter space indicates a critical density threshold required to initiate the bounce, below which the Universe follows a singular General Relativity trajectory. The models are shown to be physically viable, with the effective equation of state asymptotically approaching a de Sitter attractor ($w_{\text{eff}} \to -1$) and the squared speed of sound remaining within the stability and causality bounds ($0 \le c_s^2 \le 1$). This study shows that the $f(R,T)$ framework provides a stable, classically geometric alternative to the Big Bang singularity, consistent with both early-universe requirements and late-time accelerated expansion.
Mohamed Aarif A, Soumya Chakrabarti
We study the gravitational collapse of a non-interacting mix of perfect fluid and a spatially homogeneous scalar field within a Chiellini-integrable framework. We choose an extended Higgs-type self-interaction potential and reduce the Klein-Gordon equation into a generalized damped Milne-Pinney class of differential equation. We derive a closed-form analytical solution for the scalar field, the scale factor and explore the collapsing branch of the same. We find that it exhibits an asymptotic collapse in which the proper volume decreases monotonically but never reaches zero at finite time. We analyze the energy conditions for the constituent elements of the collapsing sphere. While the scalar field remains canonical in nature, we find that the perfect fluid can violated the Null Energy Condition. We also study the formation of apparent horizon condition and find multiple possibilities depending on the parameter space : either no trapped surface or the formation of multiple apparent horizons. We match the interior homogeneous solution to a generalized Vaidya exterior via the Israel-Darmois junction conditions, yielding the corresponding boundary mass function, ensuring a smooth collapse scenario.
Kalin V. Staykov, Fethi M. Ramazanoğlu, Daniela D. Doneva, Stoytcho S. Yazadjiev
There has been a recent revival in understanding the spontaneous scalarization phenomenon in scalar-tensor gravity as a phase transition. Using the tools of the Landau theory, we now know that first-order transitions where scalarization occurs in a discontinuous manner is more prominent than what had been considered in the literature, and this might lead to novel observation channels. However, the examples so far have been restricted to specific quadratic scalar coupling terms and spherically symmetric stars. Here we explore the phase transition structure of scalarization for more general couplings, considering linear as well as quadratic terms in the conformal scaling factor of the theory. Moreover, we also investigate the effect of rotation on the scalarization phase transition. Both of these considerations are natural choices since the coupling in a scalar-tensor theory can appear at all orders, and astrophysical neutron stars commonly have angular momentum. The introduction of linear coupling leads to a complex solution space which is harder to explore. However, we demonstrate that the Landau model of scalarization enables us to systematically find the branches of scalarized solutions that are commonly overlooked in numerical searches, providing a novel tool. On the other hand, the main effect of stellar rotation is shifting the stellar masses at which the phase transition occurs to higher values, but the qualitative picture remains similar to what happens under spherical symmetry.
Takuya Takahashi
Superradiant instability of ultralight bosons can produce clouds around rotating black holes, whose continuous gravitational wave (GW) emission is a promising observational target. Precise predictions of the signal frequency and its evolution are essential for detecting such continuous GWs. For axions, self-interactions can populate multiple superradiant modes via nonlinear couplings, and GW emission can occur through various channels. To calculate the frequency shifts of GWs emitted through these channels, we employ relativistic perturbation theory based on a bilinear form. We apply this framework to self-interaction effects for the first time, and also revisit the treatment of the self-gravity contribution. Our results provide a simple and unified framework for calculating frequency shifts, including cases in which multiple modes are excited, and are relevant for next-generation GW observations.