Volume 371
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Hot Topic
Workshop: N3AS Annual Meeting 2025 (August 5–7 @ UC Berkeley)
2025-08-26
We (Keiya Hirashima, Camilia Demidem, Gabriele Di Ubaldo, Jan Schuette-Engel, Yuuka Kanakubo, Yuki Fujimoto, Shuntaro Aoki, Hiro Nagataki, Satoshi Iso, and Tetsuo Hatsuda) attended the N3AS Annual Meeting 2025, held at UC Berkeley (UCB) on August 5–7. N3AS stands for the Network for Neutrinos, Nuclear Astrophysics, and Symmetries, an NSF-funded program that began in 2016. iTHEMS and ABBL joined N3AS in 2020.
During the meeting, Keiya, Camilia, Jan, Yuki and Shuntaro gave excellent presentations on their recent research. We also enjoyed many fascinating talks from N3AS members, including Mia Kumamoto and Kelsey Lund, both of whom participated in iTHEMS Now and Next 2025.
Tetsuo and Hiro reported on the activities of iTHEMS, RBC, and ABBL, while Wick Haxton (PI of the N3AS program) provided an update on the status of N3AS.
The meeting took place in the Physics building, where the RIKEN-Berkeley Center (RBC) is located. RBC is a hub for international collaboration of iTHEMS, such as researcher exchanges, joint workshops, and long-term fellowships. Now 3 researchers of iTHEMS (Jan, Gabriele, Yuuka) are staying there and engaging in international research collaborations. We made good use of the RBC office during our stay in the week of August 3.
While at Berkeley, we (Satoshi, Tetsuo, and Hiro) had the opportunity to meet with Steve Kahn (Dean of Mathematical & Physical Sciences, UC Berkeley) and Martin Olsson (Chair of the Department of Mathematics, UC Berkeley) to discuss future communication and collaboration between iTHEMS and the Departments of Physics and Mathematics at UCB. We also visited Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), where another iTHEMS office is located.
This visit reaffirmed the importance of the strong connection between RIKEN and Berkeley, and the key role of the RBC in supporting this collaboration.
Hot Topic
Exhibited “Black Hole Recorder” at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai: A Quantum Gravity Science-Art Project Recording Messages for the Future
2025-08-26
iTHEMS exhibited “Black Hole Recorder,” a science art work based on quantum black hole theory created in collaboration with external creators in 2021, at the 2025 Japan International Exposition (Osaka-Kansai Expo) special exhibition "Entangled Moment - [Quantum, Sea, Universe] × Art" (hosted by the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) from August 14 (Thu) to August 20 (Wed), 2025.
The exhibition featured research from nearly 20 research institutions and companies, along with approximately 20 artworks, presented across nine sections. The venue was designed to evoke a world where the microscopic quantum realm and the vast universe continuously cycle and regenerate like an “Ouroboros.” iTHEMS was the ninth and final section in the exhibition, where visitors could view the artwork alongside its explanation. Additionally, all sounds in the venue were continuously recorded using the “Black Hole Recorder,” and visitors were invited to record messages for 1,500 years in the future, with plans to eventually transmit the recorded sounds to a black hole via radio waves.
Given the Expo setting, on many days the venue welcomed over 9,000 visitors daily (62,360 visitors over 7 days), allowing many people to experience and enjoy the exhibition. However, during peak hours, the venue became quite crowded, making it difficult for some visitors to view the exhibits at their leisure. Through the artworks, we were able to introduce visitors to black holes and the underlying theory of quantum gravity, and I believe many left with the message that these foundational theories may one day lead to useful technologies. Participating in this exhibition at the Expo provided a valuable opportunity to convey research findings and messages to those who typically have little interest in science. The exchange with other exhibitors also contributed to the future development of iTHEMS's social collaboration activities.
Upcoming Events
Seminar
iTHEMS Seminar
A Fresh Look at Late-Time Hawking Radiation
September 2 (Tue) 14:00 - 15:30, 2025
Wei-Hsiang Shao (Special Postdoctoral Researcher, Division of Fundamental Mathematical Science, RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS))
There is now a common belief that non-perturbative quantum gravity effects are relevant for resolving the black hole information puzzle. But could such effects also largely alter Hawking radiation itself, the main culprit that led to the puzzle in the first place?
There are two main lessons that I would like to convey from this presentation: 1. For large black holes formed by dynamical collapse, the usual description of Hawking radiation in the low-energy effective theory breaks down at an early stage, signaling the need for a UV theory to describe the origin of late-time radiation. 2. In UV models of the radiation field that incorporate a form of nonlocality motivated by string theory, Hawking radiation becomes a transient phenomenon that occurs only for a brief period of time. This behavior suggests a major deviation from the conventional picture of black hole evaporation based on local quantum field theory.
Venue: via Zoom / #359, 3F, RIKEN Wako Campus
Event Official Language: English
Seminar
iTHEMS Math Seminar
Geometry of 2d topological field theories and integrable hierarchies
September 4 (Thu) 15:00 - 17:00, 2025
Zhe Wang (Research Scientist, Division of Fundamental Mathematical Science, RIKEN Center for Interdisciplinary Theoretical and Mathematical Sciences (iTHEMS))
In this talk, I will explain a mathematical formulation of 2d topological field theories making use of integrable hierarchies, which is a framework initiated by B. Dubrovin and developed by many other mathematicians. The talk is divided into two parts. The first 45 minutes is a gentle introduction on how the mathematical structure called Frobenius manifolds naturally appears from topological field theories. The remaining part of the talk is devoted to explaining relationships between Frobenius manifolds and integrable hierarchies via the example of the KdV hierarchy.
Venue: #359, Seminar Room #359, 3F Main Research Building, RIKEN / via Zoom
Event Official Language: English
Seminar
8th Mathematical Application Research Team meeting
September 5 (Fri) 10:30 - 11:50, 2025
Sonia Mahmoudi (Assistant Professor, Mathematical Science Group, Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University)
The 8th meeting of the Mathematical Application Research Team invites Sonia Mahmoudi for a talk.
Venue: via Zoom / #359, 3F, RIKEN Wako Campus
Event Official Language: English
Seminar
Math & Computer SeminarKyushu University Collaboration Team
Computer Algebra with Deep Learning
September 5 (Fri) 15:00 - 17:00, 2025
Yuki Ishihara (Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics, College and Science Technology, Nihon University)
Computer algebra is a field that aims to perform various mathematical calculations on computers. In recent years, there has been a surge in efforts to accelerate computer algebra algorithms using deep learning models such as “Transformer,” which is used in ChatGPT. In this lecture, I will introduce the results of joint research with Professor Kera et al. on learning Gröbner bases with Transformer.
Reference
- Yuki Ishihara, Computer Algebra with Deep Learning
Venue: via Zoom / #359, Seminar Room #359, 3F Main Research Building, RIKEN
Event Official Language: English
Conference
Supported by iTHEMS
XIIIth International Symposium on Nuclear Symmetry Energy (NuSym25)
September 8 (Mon) - 13 (Sat) 2025
[Scientific scope]
The symposium will address experimental and theoretical investigations of the equation-of-state (EoS) of nuclear matter at various isospin asymmetries. Such investigations include efforts in nuclear structure, nuclear reactions and heavy-ion collisions, as well as in astrophysical observations of compact stars and associated phenomena. An important role of the symposium is to unify efforts of the nuclear physics and astrophysics communities in addressing common research challenges.
Venue: Integrated Innovation Building (IIB), Kobe Campus, RIKEN
Event Official Language: English
Seminar
iTHEMS Theoretical Physics Seminar
Exciting Possibilities of Multi-Messenger Windows on Cosmic Accelerators
September 9 (Tue) 13:30 - 15:00, 2025
Koichiro Yasuda (Ph.D. Student, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, USA)
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) jets are among the most extreme particle accelerators in the universe and are thought to play a key role in the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays. Yet, the physical processes inside these jets, particularly those involving heavy nuclei, remain poorly understood.
In this talk, I will explore how nuclear and atomic processes in AGN jets can leave distinctive multi-messenger signatures, from neutrino production via nuclear decays to characteristic gamma-ray features from nuclear excitations. These phenomena offer a new window into the microscopic physics of nuclei under astrophysical extreme conditions, while also serving as macroscopic probes of jet composition and acceleration mechanisms.
I will also discuss how upcoming observations, including neutrino flavor studies and MeV gamma-ray missions, could provide critical tests of these ideas and shed light on the role of nuclear physics in shaping cosmic accelerators.
Venue: Hybrid Format (3F #359 and Zoom), Seminar Room #359, 3F Main Research Building, RIKEN
Event Official Language: English
Seminar
iTHEMS Math Seminar
Separability criteria for loops via the Goldman bracket
September 12 (Fri) 15:00 - 17:00, 2025
Aoi Wakuda (Ph.D. Student, Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences, The University of Tokyo)
In this talk, we give algebraic criteria using the Goldman bracket to determine whether two free homotopy classes of loops on an oriented surface have disjoint representatives. As an application, we determine the center of the Goldman Lie algebra of a pair of pants. We extend Kabiraj's method, which was originally limited to oriented surfaces filled by simple closed geodesics, and show that in this case, the center is generated by the class of loops homotopic to a point, and the classes of loops winding multiple times around a single puncture or boundary component.
Venue: via Zoom / #359, Seminar Room #359, 3F Main Research Building, RIKEN
Event Official Language: English
Seminar
iTHEMS Biology Seminar
Cross-species transcriptome analysis using Gromov-Wasserstein optimal transport
September 18 (Thu) 13:00 - 14:00, 2025
Yuya Tokuta (Program-Specific Researcher, Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study (KUIAS))
Sequence homology underpins cross-species analysis but cannot identify evolutionarily distinct genes that play analogous regulatory roles. Furthermore, ethical restrictions on human experiments necessitate analytical frameworks that translate insights from other animals to humans. To address these challenges, we developed Species-OT, a cross-species transcriptome analysis framework based on Gromov-Wasserstein optimal transport, which quantitatively compares the geometry of transcriptome distributions. Given a pair of bulk or single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets, Species-OT returns a gene-to-gene correspondence capturing probabilistic alignments of regulatory roles, and a transcriptomic distance quantifying overall divergence. Applied pairwise, Species-OT yields a transcriptomic discrepancy array and a hierarchical clustering tree analogous to a phylogenetic tree. We validated Species-OT using bulk RNA-seq data from human, mouse, and macaque germ cell specification as well as scRNA-seq data from pluripotent stem cells of six mammalian species. Species-OT identified evolutionarily related and distinct gene correspondences including biologically unexplored candidates, while transcriptomic discrepancies recapitulated expected species relationships. This is joint work with T. Nakamura, K. Fujiwara, M. Imamura, M. Nagano, M. Saitou, Y. Imoto, and Y. Hiraoka.
Venue: Hybrid Format (3F #359 and Zoom), Seminar Room #359, 3F Main Research Building, RIKEN
Event Official Language: English
Lecture
Supported by iTHEMS
8th QGG Intensive Lecture: Quantum reference frames and their applications in high-energy physics
September 24 (Wed) - 26 (Fri) 2025
Philipp Höhn (Assistant Professor, Qubits and Spacetime Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST))
Quantum reference frames (QRFs) are a universal tool for dealing with symmetries in quantum systems. Roughly speaking, they are internal subsystems that transform in some non-trivial way under the symmetry group of interest and constitute the means for describing quantum systems from the inside in purely relational terms. QRFs are thus crucial for describing and extracting physics whenever no external reference frame for the symmetry group is available. This is in particular the case when the symmetries are gauge, as in gauge theory and gravity, where QRFs arise whenever building physical observables. The choice of internal QRF is typically non-unique, giving rise to a novel quantum form of covariance of physical properties under QRF transformations. This lecture series will explore this novel perspective in detail with a specific emphasis on applications in high-energy physics and gravity.
I will begin by introducing QRFs in mechanical setups and explain how they give rise to quantum structures of covariance that mimic those underlying special relativity. I will explain how this leads to subsystem relativity, the insight that different QRF decompose the total system in different ways into gauge-invariant subsystems, and how this leads to the QRF dependence of correlations, entropies, and thermal properties. We will then explore how relational dynamics in Hamiltonian constrained systems and the infamous "problem of time" can be addressed with clocks identified as temporal QRFs. In transitioning to the field theory setting, we will first consider hybrid scenarios, where QRFs are quantum mechanical, but the remaining degrees of freedom are quantum fields including gravitons. I will explain how this encompasses the recent discussion of "observers", generalized entropies, and gravitational von Neumann algebras by Witten et al. and how subsystem relativity leads to the conclusion that gravitational entanglement entropies are observer dependent. We will then discuss the classical analog of QRFs in gauge theory and gravity and how they can be used to build gauge-invariant relational observables and to describe local subsystems. This will connect with discussions on edge and soft modes in the literature, the former of which turn out to be QRFs as well. This has bearing on entanglement entropies in gauge theories, which I will describe on the lattice, providing a novel relational construction that overcomes the challenges faced by previous constructions, which yielded non-distillable contributions to the entropy and can be recovered as the intersection of "all QRF perspectives". Finally, I will describe how the classical discussion of dynamical reference frames can be used to build a manifestly gauge-invariant path integral formulation that opens up novel relational perspectives on effective actions and the renormalization group in gravitational contexts, which is typically plagued by a lack of manifest diffeomorphism-invariance. I will conclude with open questions and challenges in the field.
Program:
September 24
10:15 - 10:30 Registration and reception with coffee
10:30 - 12:00 Lecture 1
12:00 - 13:30 Lunch
13:30 - 15:00 Lecture 2
15:00 - 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 - 17:00 Lecture 3
17:10 - 18:10 Short talk session
18:20 - 21.00 Banquet
September 25
10:15 - 10:30 Morning discussion with coffee
10:30 - 12:00 Lecture 4
12:00 - 13:30 Lunch
13:30 - 15:00 Lecture 5
15:00 - 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 - 17:00 Lecture 6
17:10 - 18:10 Short talk session
September 26
10:15 - 10:30 Morning discussion with coffee
10:30 - 12:00 Lecture 7
12:00 - 13:30 Lunch
13:30 - 15:00 Lecture 8
15:00 - 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 - 17:00 Lecture 9 & Closing
Venue: #435-437, 4F, Main Research Building, RIKEN Wako Campus
Event Official Language: English
Seminar
ABBL-iTHEMS Joint Astro Seminar
Confined Circumstellar Material as a Dust Formation Site in Type II Supernovae
September 26 (Fri) 14:00 - 15:15, 2025
Yuki Takei (Program-Specific Researcher, Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics, Kyoto University)
Some massive stars undergo episodic mass loss shortly before core-collapse, producing dense circumstellar material (CSM) in their immediate surroundings. If the supernova (SN) ejecta strongly interacts with such CSM, narrow emission lines appear in the spectrum, classifying the event as Type IIn. In these cases, efficient radiative cooling forms a cold, dense shell (CDS), providing ideal conditions for dust condensation. Infrared observations of several SNe IIn have indeed confirmed newly formed dust. Recent time-domain surveys, however, suggest that compact and dense CSM, often termed “confined CSM”, is also present around a broader class of Type II SN progenitors with hydrogen-rich envelopes, beyond the traditional Type IIn subclass. This raises the possibility that dust formation in dense CSM is more common among core-collapse SNe than previously thought. In this talk, I will demonstrate that CDS formation occurs robustly across a wide parameter space for confined CSM using numerical simulations based on the open-source code CHIPS. I will also discuss the resulting dust mass and infrared emission, as well as the potential contribution of this process to the galactic dust budget.
Venue: Hybrid Format (3F #359 and Zoom), Seminar Room #359, 3F Main Research Building, RIKEN
Event Official Language: English
Seminar
iTHEMS Theoretical Physics Seminar
What constitutes a gravitational wave in an expanding universe?
October 1 (Wed) 16:00 - 17:30, 2025
Yi-Zen Chu (Professor, Department of Physics, National Central University, Taiwan)
Our understanding of gravitational waves produced by isolated astrophysical systems is primarily based on gravitational perturbation theory off a flat spacetime background. This leads to the common identification of gravitational radiation with massless spin-2 waves. In this talk, I will argue that gravitational waves may no longer be solely "spin-2" in character once the background spacetime is our expanding universe instead. As a result of the mixing between gravitational and other degrees of freedom, scalar "spin-0" gravitational waves may exist during the radiation-dominated epoch of our universe; as well as during its current accelerated expansion phase -- provided the main driver is not the cosmological constant, but some extra "Dark Energy" field. Moreover, during the radiation-dominated era, spin-0 Cherenkov gravitational waves may even be generated if its material source were traveling faster than 1/\sqrt{3}.
Venue: Hybrid Format (3F #359 and Zoom), Seminar Room #359, 3F Main Research Building, RIKEN
Event Official Language: English
Lecture
Lectures on General Probabilistic Theories: From Introduction to Research Participation
October 6 (Mon) - 9 (Thu) 2025
Hayato Arai (JSPS Research Fellow, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo)
(The deadline of the registration is on Sep 30.)
100 years have passed since quantum mechanics was born. The mathematical model has been describing the physical world remarkably well. However, the foundations of this model still remain unclear. A comprehensive understanding of quantum theory, including its foundations, is becoming even more important in an era where the demands of realizing quantum information technologies pose significant theoretical and experimental challenges.
The framework of General Probabilistic Theories (GPTs) is a modern approach to the foundations of quantum theory. It deals with mathematical generalizations of both classical and quantum theories and has attracted increasing attention in recent years. Roughly speaking, research on GPTs has three major objectives: characterizing the models of classical and quantum theories, investigating the fundamental limits of physical and information-theoretic properties arising from operational requirements, and deepening our understanding of the mathematical structures underlying classical and quantum theories. The studies of GPTs have provided many new perspectives on these topics. However, at the same time, there remain many important open problems in the field. For this reason, more researchers are encouraged to enter and contribute to research on GPTs.
This intensive three-day lecture series is designed to provide researchers and graduate students with the essential knowledge necessary for research on GPTs, starting from an introduction to the subject. The lectures will cover the mathematical foundations, physical and information-theoretic concepts, and both the established results and future directions of GPT research. The 1st day will present the necessary mathematical structures, including convex geometry, positive cones, and the operational formulation of probabilistic models. The 2nd day will explore composite systems, information-theoretic quantities, symmetries, and Euclidean Jordan algebras. The 3rd day will survey key results on discrimination and communication tasks, the characterization of classical and quantum theories, and open problems that connect GPTs to quantum information science and beyond.
Note: The content of each lecture may extend into the next slot or be covered earlier, depending on the pace of discussion and participant questions.
The 1st day (6th Oct.): Mathematical Introduction to GPTs
Venue: Large Meeting Room, 2F, Wako Welfare & Conference Building
10:30-12:00 Lecture 1 (Introduction and Mathematics on Positive Cones)
12:00-13:30 Lunch time
13:30-15:00 Lecture 2 (Mathematics on Positive Cones)
15:00-15:30 Coffee break
15:30-17:00 Lecture 3 (Introduction to General Models and Relation between Operational Probability Theories)
The 2nd day (7th Oct.): Physical and Information Theoretical Concepts in GPTs
Venue: Large Meeting Room, 2F, Wako Welfare & Conference Building
10:30-12:00 Lecture 4 (Composite Systems in GPTs)
12:00-13:30 Lunch time
13:30-15:00 Lecture 5 (Information Quantities)
15:00-15:30 Coffee break
15:30-17:00 Lecture 6 (Dynamics, Symmetry, and Euclidean Jordan Algebras)
The 3rd day (8th Oct): Previous and Future Studies in GPTs
Venue: Meeting Room 435-437, 4F, Wako Main Research Building
10:30-12:00 Lecture 7 (Discrimination and Communication Tasks)
12:00-13:30 Lunch time
13:30-15:00 Lecture 8 (Characterization of Classical and Quantum Theories)
15:00-15:30 Coffee break
15:30-17:00 Lecture 9 (Other Topics, Open Problems, and Future Directions)
18:00- Dinner
The day of no lecture (9th Oct): Open Discussion and Q&A
Research discussions will take place between the lecturer and participants in areas such as the hallways on the 3rd and 4th floors of the Main Research Bldg, RIKEN Wako Campus.
Venue: Welfare and Conference Bldg. 2F Meeting Room, RIKEN Wako Campus / #435-437, Main Research Building, RIKEN Wako Campus
Event Official Language: English
Colloquium
iTHEMS Colloquium
Why do we sleep? — The Role of Calcium and Phosphorylation in Sleep
October 10 (Fri) 15:30 - 17:00, 2025
Hiroki R. Ueda (Professor, Systems Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo / Professor, Department of Systems Biology, Institute of Life Science, Kurume University)
Sleep remains one of greatest remaining mysteries. At the Sleep 2012 conference, we conceived a shift from the concept of “sleep substances” to “wake substances” such as calcium, suggesting that sleep homeostasis may arise from the integration of wake-related activity. Inspired by Dr. Setsuro Ebashi’s work on calcium signaling, we investigated calcium’s role in sleep regulation.
Using our Triple-CRISPR method (Sunagawa et al. 2016), we screened 25 genes related to calcium channels and pumps, revealing calcium as a brake on brain activity to promote sleep (Tatsuki et al. 2016). We also developed a tissue-clearing method CUBIC (Susaki et al. 2014; Tainaka et al. 2014) to visualize calcium’s effects on neural circuits. Further work showed that calcium-dependent enzymes, CaMKIIα/β kinases, act as calcium “memory” devices, with phosphorylation sites controlling sleep onset, duration, and termination (Tone et al. 2022). Other direct and indirect calcium-dependent phosphatases, Calcineurin and PP1 (sleep-promoting), and opposing kinases, PKA (wake-promoting), function as synaptic sleep switches (Wang et al. 2024).
We also identified the ryanodine receptor 1, a calcium channel, as a molecular target of inhalational anesthetics, hinting at shared pathways between anesthesia and sleep (Kanaya et al. 2025). Lastly, we proposed the WISE (Wake Inhibition Sleep Enhancement) mechanism, where quiet wakefulness suppresses and deep sleep strengthens synaptic connections, explaining links between sleep, depression, and antidepressant effects (Kinoshita et al. 2025).
Venue: Okochi Hall, 1F Laser Science Laboratory, RIKEN / via Zoom
Event Official Language: English
Featured Paper of the Week
Observation of the Axion quasiparticle in 2D MnBi$_2$Te$_4$
2025-08-27
In a recent study, researchers including Berkeley-Riken fellow Jan Schütte-Engel report a groundbreaking discovery in a material known as MnBi_2Te_4. They found direct evidence for what’s called a dynamical axion quasiparticle (DAQ), a coherent spin wave oscillation in the material that closely resembles the elusive axion particle predicted in high-energy physics. Particle physics axions, if found, could help explain puzzling mysteries like dark matter and a symmetry issue in particle physics called the strong CP problem. In the new study, the team used ultrafast “pump–probe” laser techniques to detect the DAQ.
Particle physics axions have never been directly observed. The discovery of the DAQ opens exciting opportunities for both fundamental physics and future technologies. On the fundamental physics side, such materials could help in the detection of dark matter axions. The authors have calculated the sensitivity of these newly discovered DAQ for dark matter axion searches. On the technological side, precise control of the dynamic quantum properties may lead to novel sensors, high-speed electronics, and quantum devices.
Reference:
Jian-Xiang Qiu, Barun Ghosh, Jan Schütte-Engel, Tiema Qian, Michael Smith, Yueh-Ting Yao, Junyeong Ahn, Yu-Fei Liu, Anyuan Gao, Christian Tzschaschel, Houchen Li, Ioannis Petrides, Damien Bérubé, Thao Dinh, Tianye Huang, Olivia Liebman, Emily M. Been, Joanna M. Blawat, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Kin Chung Fong, Hsin Lin, Peter P. Orth, Prineha Narang, Claudia Felser, Tay-Rong Chang, Ross McDonald, Robert J. McQueeney, Arun Bansil, Ivar Martin, Ni Ni, Qiong Ma, David J. E. Marsh, Ashvin Vishwanath, Su-Yang Xu
"Observation of the Axion quasiparticle in 2D MnBi$_2$Te$_4$"
doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-08862-x
arXiv: 2504.12572
Person of the Week
Self-introduction: Sungsik Kong
2025-08-27
I am interested in developing and understanding methods for inferring phylogenetic networks and hybrid speciation using genomic data under the coalescent model. I was a postdoctoral fellow at The Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM) at Brown University, mentored by Dr. Elizabeth Allman (University of Alaska-Fairbanks) and Dr. Scott Edwards (Harvard University). I was a postdoctoral research associate in the Solis-Lemus Lab at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I received my Ph.D. in Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology at the Ohio State University advised by Dr. Laura Kubatko. I conferred B.Sc. and M.Sc. at University of Toronto, Canada, where I studied evolutionary biology and phylogenetics, advised by Dr. Robert Murphy. I also studied the evolution of Primate behavior with Dr. Deborah McLennan. Moreover, I worked as a researcher at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea, with Drs. Yikweon Jang and Jae Chun Choe.
Person of the Week
Self-introduction: Wei-Hsiang Shao
2025-08-27
My name is Wei-Hsiang Shao (ウェイシャン シャオ). I completed my PhD in Physics in the String Theory Group at National Taiwan University in June 2025, and this postdoctoral position marks my first long-term research experience at an academic institute abroad.
My research interests lie in quantum gravity, with a particular focus on the nonperturbative aspects of string theory and their implications for our understanding of the universe. Much of our current framework relies on perturbative quantum gravity, which combines Einstein’s General Relativity with local quantum field theory into a low-energy effective theory valid on large scales compared to the Planck scale. While remarkably successful, this framework leaves many open questions—such as Hawking’s black hole information paradox, the origin of our universe, and the recent tensions in cosmological observations.
During my PhD, I worked with my supervisors to explore a new perspective on the quantum aspects of black holes by incorporating properties rooted in string theory. Our findings suggest that nonperturbative features of string theory may lead to qualitatively different outcomes for black hole evaporation than those predicted by standard low-energy effective theories. This line of study has inspired me to extend our top-down approach to other contexts, such as the early universe, in the hope of uncovering nonperturbative quantum gravity effects that could reshape the current cosmological model.
I am very excited to exchange ideas with colleagues here, to broaden my perspective by learning from experts across different areas, and to contribute to this vibrant research environment through my endeavors.
Paper of the Week
Week 5, August 2025
2025-08-28
Title: Classification of color superconductivity by one-gluon exchange helicity amplitudes and renormalization group equations
Author: Yuki Fujimoto
arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/2508.19222v1
Title: Low Angular Momentum Black Hole Accretion: First GRMHD Evidence of Standing Shocks
Author: Jirong Mao, Indu K. Dihingia, Yosuke Mizuno, Shigehiro Nagataki
arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/2507.22506v1
Title: Observation of the Axion quasiparticle in 2D MnBi$_2$Te$_4$
Author: Jian-Xiang Qiu, Barun Ghosh, Jan Schütte-Engel, Tiema Qian, Michael Smith, Yueh-Ting Yao, Junyeong Ahn, Yu-Fei Liu, Anyuan Gao, Christian Tzschaschel, Houchen Li, Ioannis Petrides, Damien Bérubé, Thao Dinh, Tianye Huang, Olivia Liebman, Emily M. Been, Joanna M. Blawat, Kenji Watanabe, Takashi Taniguchi, Kin Chung Fong, Hsin Lin, Peter P. Orth, Prineha Narang, Claudia Felser, Tay-Rong Chang, Ross McDonald, Robert J. McQueeney, Arun Bansil, Ivar Martin, Ni Ni, Qiong Ma, David J. E. Marsh, Ashvin Vishwanath, Su-Yang Xu
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08862-x
arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/2504.12572v1
Title: Unitary network: Tensor network unitaries with local unitarity
Author: Wenqing Xie, Seishiro Ono, Hoi Chun Po
arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/2508.16890v1
Title: Interfaces of discrete systems - spectral and index properties
Author: Chris Bourne
arXiv: http://arxiv.org/abs/2508.17813v1
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