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1. Development of broad modulus profile upon polymer–polymer interface formation between immiscible glassy–rubbery domains

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2312533120  

   Gagnon, Yannic J; Burton, Justin C; Roth, Connie B (January 2024, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Interfaces of glassy materials such as thin films, blends, and composites create strong unidirectional gradients to the local heterogeneous dynamics that can be used to elucidate the length scales and mechanisms associated with the dynamic heterogeneity of glasses. We focus on bilayer films of two different polymers with very different glass transition temperatures ( $T_{\text{g}}$) where previous work has demonstrated a long-range (∼200 nm) profile in local $T_{\text{g}}\left(z\right)$is established between immiscible glassy and rubbery polymer domains when the polymer–polymer interface is formed to equilibrium. Here, we demonstrate that an equally long-ranged gradient in local modulus $\tilde{G}\left(z\right)$is established when the polymer–polymer interface ( $\approx$5 nm) is formed between domains of glassy polystyrene (PS) and rubbery poly(butadiene) (PB), consistent with previous reports of a broad $T_{\text{g}}\left(z\right)$profile in this system. A continuum physics model for the shear wave propagation caused by a quartz crystal microbalance across a PB/PS bilayer film is used to measure the viscoelastic properties of the bilayer during the evolution of the PB/PS interface showing the development of a broad gradient in local modulus $\tilde{G}\left(z\right)$spanning $\approx$180 nm between the glassy and rubbery domains of PS and PB. We suggest these broad profiles in $T_{\text{g}}\left(z\right)$and $\tilde{G}\left(z\right)$arise from a coupling of the spectrum of vibrational modes across the polymer–polymer interface as a result of acoustic impedance matching of sound waves with $\lambda \sim 5$nm during interface broadening that can then trigger density fluctuations in the neighboring domain. 

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2. Bounds on eigenfunctions of quantum cat maps

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1402-4896/ad0331  

   Kim, Elena; Koirala, Robert (October 2023, Physica Scripta)

   Abstract We studyℓ^∞norms ofℓ²-normalized eigenfunctions of quantum cat maps. For maps with short quantum periods (constructed by Bonechi and de Biévre in F Bonechi and S De Bièvre (2000,Communications in Mathematical Physics,211, 659–686)) we show that there exists a sequence of eigenfunctionsuwith $\parallel u{\parallel }_{\infty }\gtrsim {\left(\log N\right)}^{-1/2}$. For general eigenfunctions we show the upper bound $\parallel u{\parallel }_{\infty }\lesssim {\left(\log N\right)}^{-1/2}$. Here the semiclassical parameter is $h={\left(2\pi N\right)}^{-1}$. Our upper bound is analogous to the one proved by Bérard in P Bérard (1977,Mathematische Zeitschrift,155, 249-276) for compact Riemannian manifolds without conjugate points. 

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3. Observation of $\text{γ}\text{γ}\to \text{τ}\text{τ}$ in proton–proton collisions and limits on the anomalous electromagnetic moments of the τ lepton

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6633/ad6fcb  

   CMS_Collaboration, The (September 2024, Reports on Progress in Physics)

   Abstract The production of a pair of τ leptons via photon–photon fusion, $\text{γ}\text{γ}\to \text{τ}\text{τ}$, is observed for the first time in proton–proton collisions, with a significance of 5.3 standard deviations. This observation is based on a data set recorded with the CMS detector at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 138 fb⁻¹. Events with a pair of τ leptons produced via photon–photon fusion are selected by requiring them to be back-to-back in the azimuthal direction and to have a minimum number of charged hadrons associated with their production vertex. The τ leptons are reconstructed in their leptonic and hadronic decay modes. The measured fiducial cross section of $\text{γ}\text{γ}\to \text{τ}\text{τ}$is ${\sigma }_{\text{obs}}^{\text{fid}}={12.4}_{-3.1}^{+3.8}\text{fb}$. Constraints are set on the contributions to the anomalous magnetic moment ( $a_{\text{τ}}$) and electric dipole moments ( $d_{\text{τ}}$) of the τ lepton originating from potential effects of new physics on the $\text{γ}\text{τ}\text{τ}$vertex: $a_{\text{τ}}={0.0009}_{-0.0031}^{+0.0032}$and $|d_{\text{τ}}|<2.9\times {10}^{-17}e\text{cm}$(95% confidence level), consistent with the standard model. 

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4. Electronic structure in a transition metal dipnictide TaAs ₂

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-648X/ad04fc  

   Regmi, Sabin; Huang, Cheng-Yi; Khan, Mojammel A.; Wang, Baokai; Pradhan Sakhya, Anup; Hosen, M. Mofazzel; Thompson, Jesse; Singh, Bahadur; Denlinger, Jonathan D.; Ishigami, Masahiro; et al (November 2023, Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter)

   Abstract The family of transition-metal dipnictides has been of theoretical and experimental interest because this family hosts topological states and extremely large magnetoresistance (MR). Recently, ${\mathrm{T}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{A}\mathrm{s}}_2$, a member of this family, has been predicted to support a topological crystalline insulating state. Here, by using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), we reveal both closed and open pockets in the metallic Fermi surface (FS) and linearly dispersive bands on the ( $\bar{2}01$) surface, along with the presence of extreme MR observed from magneto-transport measurements. A comparison of the ARPES results with first-principles computations shows that the linearly dispersive bands on the measured surface of ${\mathrm{T}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{A}\mathrm{s}}_2$are trivial bulk bands. The absence of symmetry-protected surface state on the ( $\bar{2}01$) surface indicates its topologically dark nature. The presence of open FS features suggests that the open-orbit fermiology could contribute to the extremely large MR of ${\mathrm{T}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{A}\mathrm{s}}_2$. 

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5. Test of lepton flavor universality in ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$ and ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\text{e}}^{+}{\text{e}}^{-}$ decays in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{\text{s}}=\text{13}\text{TeV}$

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6633/ad4e65  

   CMS_Collaboration, The (July 2024, Reports on Progress in Physics)

   Abstract A test of lepton flavor universality in ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$and ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\text{e}}^{+}{\text{e}}^{-}$decays, as well as a measurement of differential and integrated branching fractions of a nonresonant ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$decay are presented. The analysis is made possible by a dedicated data set of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13\text{TeV}$recorded in 2018, by the CMS experiment at the LHC, using a special high-rate data stream designed for collecting about 10 billion unbiased b hadron decays. The ratio of the branching fractions $B({\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-})$to $B({\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\text{e}}^{+}{\text{e}}^{-})$is determined from the measured double ratio $R\left(\text{K}\right)$of these decays to the respective branching fractions of the ${\text{B}}^{\pm }\to \text{J}/\text{ψ}{\text{K}}^{\pm }$with $\text{J}/\text{ψ}\to {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$and ${\text{e}}^{+}{\text{e}}^{-}$decays, which allow for significant cancellation of systematic uncertainties. The ratio $R\left(\text{K}\right)$is measured in the range $1.1<q^2<6.0{\text{GeV}}^2$, whereqis the invariant mass of the lepton pair, and is found to be $R\left(\text{K}\right)={0.78}_{-0.23}^{+0.47}$, in agreement with the standard model expectation $R\left(\text{K}\right)\approx 1$. This measurement is limited by the statistical precision of the electron channel. The integrated branching fraction in the sameq²range, $B({\text{B}}^{\pm }\to {\text{K}}^{\pm }{\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-})=(12.42\pm 0.68)\times {10}^{-8}$, is consistent with the present world-average value and has a comparable precision. 

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