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

Decoding Zc(4430)Z_c(4430) and Zc(4200)Z_c(4200): The role of PP-wave charmed mesons

This study employs the One-Boson Exchange potential and the Complex Scaling Method to investigate hidden-charm tetraquark states composed of SS-wave and PP-wave charmed mesons, demonstrating that incorporating three-body decay effects is essential for reproducing the large experimental widths and identifying DDˉ1(2420)D^*\bar{D}_1(2420) and DDˉ2(2460)D^*\bar{D}_2^*(2460) molecules as candidates for Zc(4430)Z_c(4430) and DDˉ0(2300)D\bar{D}_0^*(2300) or DDˉ1(2430)D\bar{D}_1(2430) molecules as candidates for Zc(4200)Z_c(4200).

Jian-Bo Cheng, Zi-Yang Lin, Jun-Zhang Wang, Shi-Lin Zhu2026-01-29
⚛️ nuclear theory

Relaxation time approximation revisited and non-analytical structure in retarded correlators

This paper provides a rigorous mathematical justification for the energy-independent relaxation time approximation in hard interactions, proposes a method to restore collision invariance, and elucidates how interaction types (hard versus soft) and physical parameters determine the non-analytical structures, such as hydrodynamic poles or gapless branch-cuts, in retarded correlators.

Jin Hu2026-01-28
⚛️ phenomenology

RelExt: A New Dark Matter Tool for the Exploration of Dark Matter Models

The paper introduces RelExt, a C++ program designed to efficiently scan the parameter spaces of Standard Model extensions with a Dark Matter candidate by automatically generating amplitudes, solving the Boltzmann equation for relic density, and integrating with other tools to test theoretical and experimental constraints.

Rodrigo Capucha, Karim Elyaouti, Milada Margarete Mühlleitner, Johann Plotnikov, Rui Santos2026-01-28
⚛️ phenomenology

First Observations of Solar Halo Gamma Rays Over a Full Solar Cycle

By analyzing 15 years of Fermi-LAT data with a novel method for moving sources, researchers have produced a detailed model of the Sun's inverse-Compton scattering emission (solar halo) and provided the first gamma-ray probes into the time-variation and azimuthal asymmetry of solar modulation across a full solar cycle.

Tim Linden, Jung-Tsung Li, Bei Zhou, Isabelle John, Milena Crnogorčević, Annika H. G. Peter, John F. Beacom2026-01-28
⚛️ nuclear experiments

Existence of nuclear modifications on longitudinal-transverse structure-function ratio

This paper challenges the common assumption that nuclear modifications do not exist in the longitudinal-transverse structure-function ratio RNR_N by demonstrating theoretically and numerically that nucleon transverse motion within nuclei induces such modifications, particularly in medium- and large-xx regions, which are crucial for precise nucleon structure function determination and future investigations of gluon dynamics.

S. Kumano2026-01-28