Hep-Ph explores the fundamental forces that govern how particles interact and behave at the smallest scales imaginable. This field bridges the gap between theoretical predictions and experimental reality, helping scientists understand the building blocks of our universe without getting lost in complex mathematics. Whether investigating the Higgs boson or searching for new physics beyond current models, these studies push the boundaries of human knowledge about matter and energy.

At Gist.Science, we process every new preprint in this category as soon as it appears on arXiv. We strip away the dense jargon to offer both accessible plain-language explanations and detailed technical summaries, ensuring that groundbreaking research is understandable to everyone from students to seasoned experts. Below are the latest papers in this dynamic field, ready for you to explore with clarity and depth.

⚛️ nuclear theory

Nuclear cluster structure effect in 16^{16}O+16^{16}O collisions at the top RHIC energy

Using an improved Multi-Phase Transport model, this study demonstrates that the nuclear geometry and potential alpha clustering in 16^{16}O significantly influence anisotropic flows in O+O collisions at sNN=200\sqrt{s_{\rm NN}} = 200 GeV, with the model successfully reproducing STAR data and establishing a baseline for future nuclear-structure investigations.

Xin-Li Zhao, You Zhou, Zi-Wei Lin, Chao Zhang, Guo-Liang Ma2026-02-24
⚛️ phenomenology

Zee-Babu model in a non-holomorphic modular A4A_4 symmetry and modular stabilization

This paper presents a minimal Zee-Babu neutrino model utilizing non-holomorphic modular A4A_4 symmetry that successfully fits neutrino oscillation data under normal hierarchy near τ=ω\tau=\omega, predicts specific CP phases and neutrinoless double beta decay signatures, and addresses modulus stabilization within a non-supersymmetric framework.

Tatsuo Kobayashi, Hiroshi Okada, Yuta Orikasa2026-02-24
⚛️ general relativity

Effective field theory of coupled dark energy and dark matter

This paper formulates an effective field theory for coupled dark energy and dark matter by integrating vector-tensor and non-relativistic fluid sectors, deriving linear perturbation equations and stability conditions, and demonstrating that energy-momentum transfers can reduce the effective gravitational coupling of dark matter at low redshifts.

Katsuki Aoki, Jose Beltrán Jiménez, Masroor C. Pookkillath, Shinji Tsujikawa2026-02-24
⚛️ phenomenology

From U(1)×U(1)U(1) \times U(1) Symmetry Breaking to Majoron Cosmology: Insights from NANOGrav 15-year Data

This paper proposes a modified majoron model featuring both gauged and global U(1)U(1) symmetries that generates a network of cosmic strings capable of explaining the NANOGrav 15-year gravitational wave signal while simultaneously accounting for neutrino masses and satisfying cosmological constraints, albeit with the majoron's dark matter contribution remaining subdominant in the signal-favored parameter space.

Tathagata Ghosh, Kousik Loho, Sudip Manna2026-02-24
⚛️ phenomenology

Monophotons from Scalar Portal Dark Matter at Neutrino Experiments

This paper investigates monophoton signatures from scalar portal dark matter produced at neutrino facilities, demonstrating that distinct energy, angular, and spatial distributions allow experiments like DUNE ND to effectively separate these signals from neutrino backgrounds and place significantly improved constraints on dark matter parameter space.

Bhaskar Dutta, Debopam Goswami, Aparajitha Karthikeyan2026-02-24