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

Investigation of the difference in the angular distributions of Z→ℓ+ℓ−Z\to \ell^{+}\ell^{-} events produced in quark-antiquark, quark-gluon and gluon-gluon collisions

This paper investigates theoretical predictions for the angular distributions of Z boson decay leptons in proton-proton collisions at 13 TeV, specifically comparing contributions from quark-antiquark, quark-gluon, and gluon-gluon processes to propose experimental methods for isolating these components using angular coefficients and kinematic variables.

Arie Bodek, Giulia-Maria Bulugean, Aran Garcia-Bellido, Hyon San Seo, Rhys Taus, Un-Ki Yang2026-09-22
⚛️ phenomenology

Constraints on Axion-like Dark Matter from Cosmic Birefringence with a Polarization Array of Repeating Fast Radio Bursts

This paper establishes a Bayesian framework to search for axion-like dark matter using polarization data from hyperactive repeating fast radio bursts, finding no evidence for such dark matter and setting stringent new upper limits on the Chern-Simons coupling across a broad mass range.

Xiaohui Liu, Zi-Yan Yuwen, Yun-Long Zhang, Zerui Liu, Shiqian Zhao, Shuai Feng, Wei-Yang Wang, Xuelei Chen2026-09-22
⚛️ phenomenology

Holonomic techniques for massive 3-loop form factors: the gluonic case

This paper outlines the core strategy and challenges of computing massive three-loop gluonic form factors using holonomic techniques, delivering exact analytic representations in terms of MZVs and higher number space constants around s=0s=0 and s=±∞s=\pm\infty to serve as a landmark benchmark for precision collider phenomenology and symbolic computation.

J. Blümlein, A. De Freitas, P. Marquard, J. Obrovsky, C. Schneider2026-09-22
⚛️ phenomenology

Multitask Jet Analysis with Vision-Language Models: A Physics-Informed Four-Panel Representation

This paper demonstrates that physics-informed four-panel image representations of jets, when processed by adapted Vision-Language Models, enable efficient and accurate multitask analysis—including classification, attribute prediction, and anomaly localization—across simulated and real high-energy physics data through a unified instruction-conditioned interface.

Lu Zhang, Rachik Soualah, Abbes Amira2026-09-22
⚛️ phenomenology

The phenomenology of Axion Relic Pockets

This paper investigates the phenomenology of axion relic pockets as dark matter by deriving axion-to-photon conversion rates in their compact, spherical geometry, demonstrating that interactions with atomic electric fields produce isotropic high-energy electromagnetic cascades, and using IceCube data to establish the first terrestrial constraints on this model while outlining future detection prospects.

Wafaa Khater, M. C. David Marsh, Charalampos Nikolis2026-09-22
⚛️ nuclear theory

Flow plus coalescence explain hadron nuclear modification and high-pTp_T anisotropy

This paper proposes that the simultaneous observation of a nuclear modification factor near unity and significant high-pTp_T elliptic flow in relativistic ppPb collisions is explained by a mechanism where hard partons coalesce with boosted thermal medium partons, resulting in anisotropic collective push that enhances hadron flow while predicting a smaller signal for jets.

Wilke van der Schee, Isobel Kolbé2026-09-22