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

Universal quantum computation in topological quantum neural networks and amplituhedron representation

This paper demonstrates that topological quantum neural networks (TQNNs) enable universal quantum computation through topological models and establish a formal correspondence with amplituhedra, thereby revealing amplituhedra as geometric representations of underlying topological structures for generic quantum processes.

Chris Fields, James F. Glazebrook, Antonino Marcianò, Emanuele Zappala2026-02-17
⚛️ nuclear theory

Transport-based initial conditions for heavy-ion collisions at finite densities

This paper presents a unified framework within the X-SCAPE code that utilizes the SMASH transport model to generate event-by-event initial conditions for hydrodynamic simulations of heavy-ion collisions at finite densities, incorporating a 4D lattice-QCD equation of state and generalized out-of-equilibrium corrections to study conserved charge fluctuations in the Beam Energy Scan program.

H. Roch, G. Pihan, A. Monnai, S. Ryu, N. Senthilkumar, J. Staudenmaier, H. Elfner, B. Schenke, J. H. Putschke, C. Shen (…)2026-02-17
⚛️ phenomenology

Constraints on active-sterile neutrino transition magnetic moments from low-energy electronic recoils at direct detection experiments

This paper utilizes low-energy electronic recoil data from the PandaX-4T and XENONnT experiments to derive robust exclusion limits on active-sterile neutrino transition magnetic moments, demonstrating the unique capability of direct detection experiments to probe solar neutrino up-scattering across all neutrino flavors and previously unexplored parameter spaces.

M. F. Mustamin, M. Demirci2026-02-17
⚛️ nuclear theory

Extracting Nucleon Resonance Transition GPDs from eNeγNπe^- N\to e^-γNπ Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering

This paper demonstrates that while background pion-emission processes can significantly modify cross sections in eNeγNπe^- N\to e^- \gamma N \pi reactions, the Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering excitation of the Roper resonance remains a measurable and valuable tool for extracting nucleon transition Generalized Parton Distributions and probing the internal structure of excited states.

Matthew Rumley, Anthony W. Thomas2026-02-17