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.

⚛️ phenomenology

Neutral Scalar Signatures at a Muon Collider in the Z3Z_3 symmetric Three Higgs Doublet Model

This paper demonstrates that a future 3 TeV muon collider with integrated luminosities of 1–4 ab⁻¹ can discover neutral scalar states in the 200–400 GeV mass range within the Z3Z_3-symmetric Three Higgs Doublet Model by analyzing Higgs pair production leading to bbˉbbˉb\bar{b}b\bar{b} and bbˉttˉb\bar{b}t\bar{t} final states with 5σ5\sigma significance.

Baradhwaj Coleppa, Akshat Khanna2026-02-20
⚛️ nuclear theory

Hyperon longitudinal polarization and vector meson spin alignment in a thermal model for heavy-ion collisions

This paper proposes a thermal model incorporating a common local spin equilibrium for spin-1/2 and spin-1 particles to explain the simultaneous longitudinal polarization of Λ\Lambda hyperons and positive spin alignment of vector mesons in heavy-ion collisions, noting that while the model reproduces observed trends, it currently lacks full quantitative agreement with experimental data.

Soham Banerjee, Samapan Bhadury, Wojciech Florkowski, Amaresh Jaiswal, Radoslaw Ryblewski2026-02-20
⚛️ phenomenology

UHECR Signatures and Sources

This paper proposes that Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays above 40 EeV are primarily composed of fragile light nuclei (such as He, D, Li, and Be) originating from nearby extragalactic sources like CenA and NGC 253, a model that explains observed sky anisotropies, the absence of signals from distant regions like Virgo, and the presence of event multiplets due to nuclear fragmentation.

Daniele Fargion, Pier Giorgio De Sanctis Lucentini, Maxim Y. Khlopov2026-02-19
⚛️ general relativity

Hint of dark matter-dark energy interaction in DESI DR2 and current cosmological dataset?

This study presents new constraints on a string-motivated Chameleon dark energy model, revealing a mild preference for a non-zero dark sector coupling (β0.3\beta \sim 0.3) and weak evidence favoring the interaction over Λ\LambdaCDM when combining Planck, DESI DR2, and SH0ES data, despite the model's asymptotic return to weff1w_{\rm eff} \to -1 limiting the strength of this evidence.

Amlan Chakraborty, Tulip Ray, Subinoy Das, Arka Banerjee, Vidhya Ganesan2026-02-19
⚛️ lattice

Efficient Truncations of SU(NcN_c) Lattice Gauge Theory for Quantum Simulation

This paper introduces a reformulated electric basis and a local Krylov subspace truncation strategy for pure SU(NcN_c) lattice gauge theories, demonstrating that these efficient Hamiltonians remain consistent with traditional calculations at small couplings while reducing the computational resources required for quantum time evolution by 17–19 orders of magnitude.

Anthony N. Ciavarella, I. M. Burbano, Christian W. Bauer2026-02-19
⚛️ phenomenology

Cosmic Axions Revealed via Amplified Modulation of Ellipticity of Laser (CARAMEL)

The paper proposes CARAMEL, a compact and scalable axion dark matter detection strategy that utilizes electro-optic crystals and externally injected radio-frequency power to amplify and optically read out axion-induced ellipticity modulations in the 0.5–50 GHz range, thereby enabling high-sensitivity searches across the preferred post-inflationary Peccei–Quinn axion mass parameter space.

Hooman Davoudiasl, Yannis K. Semertzidis2026-02-19
⚛️ nuclear theory

νpνp-process in Core-Collapse Supernovae: Imprints of General Relativistic Effects

This study demonstrates that incorporating General Relativistic effects into core-collapse supernova models significantly enhances the efficiency of the ν\nup-process, enabling a sufficiently massive progenitor to reproduce the full range of solar system pp-nuclide abundances up to 102^{102}Pd, whereas Newtonian calculations fail to do so.

Alexander Friedland, Derek J. Li, Giuseppe Lucente, Ian Padilla-Gay, Amol V. Patwardhan2026-02-19
⚛️ nuclear theory

Bayesian Analysis of the Neutron Star Equation of State and Model Comparison: Insights from PSR J0437+4715, PSR J0614+3329, and Other Multi-Physics Data

This study employs a comprehensive Bayesian analysis integrating terrestrial nuclear physics data with astrophysical observations from PSR J0437+4715, PSR J0614+3329, and GW170817 to constrain the neutron star equation of state, ultimately favoring the Skyrme model and yielding precise determinations of symmetry energy parameters and the radius and tidal deformability of a 1.4 solar mass neutron star.

Sk Md Adil Imam, N. K. Patra2026-02-19
⚛️ phenomenology

Constraining the new contributions to electron g2g-2 in a radiative neutrino mass model

This paper demonstrates that a radiative neutrino mass model with TeV-scale scalar leptoquarks can resolve the electron g2g-2 anomaly under inverted neutrino mass ordering while predicting negligible effects on the muon g2g-2 and testable lepton-flavor-violating tau decay rates, all while satisfying stringent constraints from μeγ\mu \to e\gamma and neutrino oscillation data.

Bayu Dirgantara, J. Julio2026-02-19