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.

⚛️ high-energy experiments

Amortized Inference of Multi-Modal Posteriors using Likelihood-Weighted Normalizing Flows

This paper introduces a novel amortized inference technique using likelihood-weighted Normalizing Flows that overcomes the limitations of standard unimodal base distributions in capturing multi-modal posteriors by initializing the flow with a Gaussian Mixture Model, thereby enabling efficient and accurate parameter estimation in high-dimensional inverse problems without requiring posterior training samples.

Rajneil Baruah2026-02-23
⚛️ phenomenology

Minimal Dark Matter: Generalized Framework and Direct-Detection Sensitivity

This paper presents a generalized framework for calculating nonperturbative effects in minimal dark matter models, demonstrating that while individual multiplet scenarios are testable by next-generation direct-detection experiments, specific mixed Majorana-Dirac multiplet combinations can evade these limits by producing signals below the neutrino floor, thereby necessitating complementary detection methods for a complete test of the theory.

Spencer Griffith, Juri Smirnov, Laura Lopez-Honorez, John F. Beacom2026-02-23
⚛️ phenomenology

The Four-Jet Rate in Electron-Positron Annihilation at Order αs4α_s^4

This paper presents the first next-to-next-to-leading order calculation of the four-jet production rate in electron-positron annihilation, utilizing advanced antenna subtraction and new transcendental functions to achieve improved agreement with LEP data and significantly reduced theoretical uncertainties.

Xuan Chen, Dmitry Chicherin, Elliot Fox, Nigel Glover, Matteo Marcoli, Vasily Sotnikov, Huiting Sun, Hantian Zhang, Simo (…)2026-02-23
⚛️ lattice

Quark-meson diquark model and color superconductivity in dense quark matter

This paper employs renormalizable two- and three-flavor quark-meson-diquark models to analyze color superconductivity and pion condensation in dense quark matter, demonstrating that BCS gaps approach a constant and the speed of sound converges to the conformal limit at high chemical potentials while correctly accounting for global symmetry breaking and Goldstone boson counting.

Jens O. Andersen, Mathias P. Nødtvedt2026-02-23
⚛️ phenomenology

Cosmological Constraints on Temperature-Dependent Interaction between Dark Matter and Neutrinos

This study investigates temperature-dependent dark matter-neutrino interactions induced by a dimension-six operator, deriving a full Boltzmann hierarchy that reveals dark acoustic oscillations and establishes significantly tighter cosmological constraints on the interaction strength compared to temperature-independent models, while highlighting the critical impact of realistic neutrino mass ordering on these limits.

Ren-Peng Zhou, Da Huang2026-02-23
⚛️ general relativity

Hybrid Star Properties with NJL and MFTQCD Model: A Bayesian Approach

This study employs a Bayesian approach to generate hybrid star equations of state combining hadronic and quark matter models, demonstrating that vector and multiquark interactions are essential for supporting massive neutron stars consistent with NICER and pQCD constraints while predicting a positive trace anomaly in their cores.

Milena Albino, Tuhin Malik, Márcio Ferreira, Constança Providência2026-02-20