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1. Deciphering the sensitivity of urban canopy air temperature to anthropogenic heat flux with a forcing-feedback framework

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ace7e0  

   Wang, Linying; Sun, Ting; Zhou, Wenyu; Liu, Maofeng; Li, Dan (August 2023, Environmental Research Letters)

   Abstract The sensitivity of urban canopy air temperature ( $T_a$) to anthropogenic heat flux ( $Q_{AH}$) is known to vary with space and time, but the key factors controlling such spatiotemporal variabilities remain elusive. To quantify the contributions of different physical processes to the magnitude and variability of $\mathrm{\Delta }{T}_a/\mathrm{\Delta }{Q}_{AH}$(where $\mathrm{\Delta }$represents a change), we develop a forcing-feedback framework based on the energy budget of air within the urban canopy layer and apply it to diagnosing $\mathrm{\Delta }{T}_a/\mathrm{\Delta }{Q}_{AH}$simulated by the Community Land Model Urban over the contiguous United States (CONUS). In summer, the median $\mathrm{\Delta }{T}_a/\mathrm{\Delta }{Q}_{AH}$is around 0.01 $\text{K\hspace{0.17em}}{\left(\text{W\hspace{0.17em}}{\text{m}}^{-\text{2}}\right)}^{-1}$over the CONUS. Besides the direct effect of $Q_{AH}$on $T_a$, there are important feedbacks through changes in the surface temperature, the atmosphere–canopy air heat conductance ( $c_a$), and the surface–canopy air heat conductance. The positive and negative feedbacks nearly cancel each other out and $\mathrm{\Delta }{T}_a/\mathrm{\Delta }{Q}_{AH}$is mostly controlled by the direct effect in summer. In winter, $\mathrm{\Delta }{T}_a/\mathrm{\Delta }{Q}_{AH}$becomes stronger, with the median value increased by about 20% due to weakened negative feedback associated with $c_a$. The spatial and temporal (both seasonal and diurnal) variability of $\mathrm{\Delta }{T}_a/\mathrm{\Delta }{Q}_{AH}$as well as the nonlinear response of $\mathrm{\Delta }{T}_a$to $\mathrm{\Delta }{Q}_{AH}$are strongly related to the variability of $c_a$, highlighting the importance of correctly parameterizing convective heat transfer in urban canopy models. 

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2. Observation of a pseudoscalar excess at the top quark pair production threshold

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6633/adf7d3  

   Collaboration, The_CMS (August 2025, Reports on Progress in Physics)

   Abstract A search for resonances in top quark pair ( $\mathrm{t}\bar{\mathrm{t}}$) production in final states with two charged leptons and multiple jets is presented, based on proton–proton collision data collected by the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC at $\sqrt{s}=13\text{TeV}$, corresponding to 138 fb⁻¹. The analysis explores the invariant mass of the $\mathrm{t}\bar{\mathrm{t}}$system and two angular observables that provide direct access to the correlation of top quark and antiquark spins. A significant excess of events is observed near the kinematic $\mathrm{t}\bar{\mathrm{t}}$threshold compared to the non-resonant production predicted by fixed-order perturbative quantum chromodynamics (pQCD). The observed enhancement is consistent with the production of a color-singlet pseudoscalar ( ${}^1{\text{S}}_0^{\left[1\right]}$) quasi-bound toponium state, as predicted by non-relativistic quantum chromodynamics. Using a simplified model for ${}^1{\text{S}}_0^{\left[1\right]}$toponium, the cross section of the excess above the pQCD prediction is measured to be $8.8{}_{-1.4}^{+1.2}\text{pb}$. 

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3. Formation and evolution of post-solitons following a high intensity laser-plasma interaction with a low-density foam target

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/abf85c  

   Blackman, David R.; Adak, Amitava; Singh, Prashant K.; Lad, Amit D.; Chatterjee, Gourab; Ridgers, Christopher P.; Del Sorbo, Dario; Trines, Raoul M. G. M.; Robinson, A. P. L.; Nazarov, Wigen; et al (May 2021, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion)

   Abstract The formation and evolution of post-solitons has been discussed for quite some time both analytically and through the use of particle-in-cell (PIC) codes. It is however only recently that they have been directly observed in laser-plasma experiments. Relativistic electromagnetic (EM) solitons are localised structures that can occur in collisionless plasmas. They consist of a low-frequency EM wave trapped in a low electron number-density cavity surrounded by a shell with a higher electron number-density. Here we describe the results of an experiment in which a 100 TW Ti:sapphire laser (30 fs, 800 nm) irradiates a $0.03\mathrm{g}\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^{-3}$TMPTA foam target with a focused intensity $I_{\mathrm{l}}=9.5\times {10}^{17}\mathrm{W}\mathrm{c}{\mathrm{m}}^{-2}$. A third harmonic ( ${\lambda }_{\mathrm{p}\mathrm{r}\mathrm{o}\mathrm{b}\mathrm{e}}\simeq 266$nm) probe is employed to diagnose plasma motion for 25 ps after the main pulse interaction via Doppler-Spectroscopy. Both radiation-hydrodynamics and 2D PIC simulations are performed to aid in the interpretation of the experimental results. We show that the rapid motion of the probe critical-surface observed in the experiment might be a signature of post-soliton wall motion. 

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4. Optimizing the longitudinal isolation for LIGO-style test mass suspensions

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6382/adf608  

   Bonilla, E; Shapiro, B; Lantz, B (August 2025, Classical and Quantum Gravity)

   Abstract We derive the design of a multi-stage mirror suspension which gives optimal isolation performance for upgrades to the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO). This optimization is only constrained by length, optic mass and total suspension mass. We find that the optimally-isolating suspension withNmasses, fixed total mass $M_{\mathrm{tot}}$, total length $L_{\mathrm{tot}}$, and bottom mass $m_{\mathrm{b}}$, has equal distances between suspended masses, equal ratios between successive suspended payloads, and a highest resonance scaling as ${\omega }_N^2\sim 4g{\left[L_{\mathrm{tot}}\ln \left(M_{\mathrm{tot}}/m_{\mathrm{b}}\right)\right]}^{-1}N(N-1)$. This optimization was used to guide the conceptual design for the next planned upgrade, LIGO A ${}^{\text{\#}}$. That conceptual design has several additional constraints, but we show that the isolation performance is within 20% of the theoretical best performance achievable. Additionally, the principles derived from the general optimization are broadly applicable and can be used to inform suspension design for other instruments requiring high-performance vibration isolation, including third-generation gravitational wave observatories such as Cosmic Explorer. 

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5. On the generalization of the Kruskal–Szekeres coordinates: a global conformal charting of the Reissner–Nordström spacetime

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6382/ad4dff  

   Aly, Fawzi; Stojkovic, Dejan (May 2024, Classical and Quantum Gravity)

   Abstract The Kruskal–Szekeres coordinate construction for the Schwarzschild spacetime could be interpreted simply as a squeezing of thet-line into a single point, at the event horizon $r=2M$. Starting from this perspective, we extend the Kruskal charting to spacetimes with two horizons, in particular the Reissner–Nordström manifold, $M_{\text{RN}}$. We develop a new method to construct Kruskal-like coordinates through casting the metric in new null coordinates, and find two algebraically distinct ways to chart $M_{\text{RN}}$, referred to as classes: type-I and type-II within this work. We pedagogically illustrate our method by crafting two compact, conformal, and global coordinate systems labeled ${\mathrm{GK}}_{\text{I}}$and ${\mathrm{GK}}_{\text{II}}$as an example for each class respectively, and plot the corresponding Penrose diagrams. In both coordinates, the metric differentiability can be promoted to $C^{\mathrm{\infty }}$in a straightforward way. Finally, the conformal metric factor can be written explicitly in terms of thetandrfunctions for both types of charts. We also argued that the chart recently reported in Soltani (2023 arXiv:2307.11026) could be viewed as another example for the type-II classification, similar to ${\mathrm{GK}}_{\text{II}}$. 

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