Hep-Th, or high-energy theoretical physics, explores the fundamental building blocks of our universe and the forces that govern them. Researchers in this field use complex mathematics to understand everything from subatomic particles to the behavior of black holes, often pushing the boundaries of what we know about space and time.

At Gist.Science, we monitor the arXiv repository to ensure you stay ahead of the curve in this rapidly evolving discipline. For every new preprint uploaded to arXiv under this category, our team generates both accessible plain-language overviews and detailed technical summaries, making cutting-edge research understandable regardless of your background.

Below are the latest papers in high-energy theoretical physics, curated to help you navigate the most significant recent discoveries.

Hamiltonians to all Orders in Perturbation Theory and Higher Loop Corrections in Single Field Inflation with PBHs Formation

This paper derives all-order interaction Hamiltonians and non-linear field relations for single-field inflation with a transient ultra-slow-roll phase, demonstrating that loop corrections to long-wavelength perturbations grow rapidly as (ΔNPeL)L(\Delta N \mathcal{P}_e L)^L, thereby causing a breakdown of perturbative control at the fourth loop order in standard models used for primordial black hole formation.

Hassan Firouzjahi, Bahar Nikbakht2026-05-15⚛️ hep-ph

Functional renormalization group equations for antisymmetric tensor field models at finite temperature

This paper derives functional renormalization group flow equations for antisymmetric rank-2 tensor field models at finite temperature, specifically analyzing symmetry breaking patterns such as SU(n)USp(n)SU(n) \to USp(n) and SO(n)SU(n/2)SO(n) \to SU(n/2) to gain insights into their scale-dependent behavior and phase transitions.

Georgii Kalagov2026-05-15⚛️ hep-th

On the Limits of the Thermofield-Double Interpretation of the Minkowski Vacuum

This paper argues that while the Thermofield-Double (TFD) interpretation of the Minkowski vacuum is a useful calculational tool for capturing thermal features, it is not an exact description of the vacuum's Hilbert space structure, as evidenced by systematic mismatches in higher-derivative correlators and the fact that TFD-like forms can be artificially generated through alternative coordinate choices.

Vaibhav Wasnik2026-05-15⚛️ gr-qc

Free-field approaches to boundary W[g^](p,p)\mathcal{W} \big[ \widehat{g} \big] (p,p') minimal models

This paper applies the background charged bosonic free-field approach and Coulomb-gas formalism to construct Ishibashi states and derive analytical expressions for disk two-point correlation functions in rational principal quantum Drinfeld-Sokolov W[g^](p,p)\mathcal{W}[\widehat{g}](p,p') minimal models with boundaries, utilizing Fock space resolutions, Pochhammer contour integrals, and Lauricella's hypergeometric functions.

Xun Liu2026-05-15⚛️ hep-th

Bootstrapping transport in the Drude-Kadanoff-Martin model

This paper establishes sharp constraints on the parameters of the Drude-Kadanoff-Martin model by deriving upper bounds on the charge density retarded Green's function, demonstrating that the model fails at microscopic scales and proving a Mott-Ioffe-Regel-type bound that forbids conventional Drude peaks in systems where the collective mean free path is significantly shorter than the lattice spacing.

Subham Dutta Chowdhury, Sean A. Hartnoll, Aditya Hebbar, Ruby Khondaker2026-05-15⚛️ hep-th