physics.atom-ph papers | Gist.Science

The subatomic world is a realm where matter behaves in ways that defy our everyday intuition, and this category explores the fundamental building blocks of our universe. From the intricate dance of quarks inside a proton to the strange properties of electrons, these studies reveal the deep rules that govern everything from the smallest particles to the largest stars.

At Gist.Science, we track every new preprint in this field as it appears on arXiv, ensuring you stay ahead of the curve. For each discovery, we provide both a clear, plain-language explanation of the core ideas and a detailed technical summary for those who want to dive deeper into the mathematics and methodology.

Below are the latest papers in Atom-Ph, offering fresh insights into the structure and behavior of the atomic scale.

On the Origins of Spontaneous Spherical Symmetry-Breaking in Open-Shell Atoms Through Polymer Self-Consistent Field Theory

This paper presents a ring polymer self-consistent field theory model that successfully predicts the ground-state binding energies and total electron densities of neutral atoms from hydrogen to neon by enforcing the Pauli exclusion principle through polymer excluded-volume interactions, while revealing that spontaneous spherical symmetry-breaking arises from energy minimization via non-spherical density distributions despite having minimal impact on total binding energies.

Phil A. LeMaitre, Russell B. Thompson2026-02-05⚛️ quant-ph

Radiation of relativistic electrons created in tunnel ionization of atomic gases by laser beams of extreme intensity

This paper demonstrates that relativistic electrons generated via tunnel ionization of argon in extreme-intensity laser fields can produce collimated XUV radiation with enhanced power through collisions with counter-propagating pulses, offering a method to probe peak laser intensities via the angular distribution and spectra of the emitted photons.

N. V. Makarenko, S. V. Popruzhenko2026-02-05🔬 physics.atom-ph

Sympathetic rotational cooling of large trapped molecular ions

The paper proposes a protocol for sympathetically cooling large trapped molecular ions into a single quantum rotational state by combining resonant coupling with laser-cooled atomic ions, coherent microwave excitation, and sideband cooling, thereby enabling applications in quantum information and high-precision spectroscopy.

Monika Leibscher, Alexander Blech, Christiane P. Koch2026-02-04🔬 physics.atom-ph

Efficient Three-Dimensional Sub-Doppler Cooling of $^{40}$ Ca $^+$ in a Penning Trap

This paper demonstrates efficient three-dimensional sub-Doppler cooling of a single $^{40}$ Ca $^+$ ion in a Penning trap by utilizing a narrow two-photon dark resonance and parametric mode coupling to reduce the axial mode occupation to near the ground state using only axially-propagating laser beams.

Brian J. McMahon, Brian C. Sawyer2026-02-04🔬 physics.atom-ph

Determination of nuclear quadrupole moments for $^{25}$ Mg, $^{87}$ Sr, and $^{135,137}$ Ba via configuration-interaction combined with a coupled-cluster approach

This paper employs a configuration-interaction plus coupled-cluster approach to calculate electric-field gradients and magnetic dipole hyperfine-structure constants for low-lying states of Mg, Sr, and Ba, enabling the accurate determination of nuclear quadrupole moments for $^{25}$ Mg, $^{87}$ Sr, and $^{135,137}$ Ba that reveal significant discrepancies with previously adopted values for strontium and barium.

Yong-Bo Tang2026-02-03🔬 physics.atom-ph

Holstein Primakoff spin codes for local and collective noise

This paper introduces a general framework for Holstein-Primakoff spin codes that maps continuous-variable bosonic codes onto permutation-symmetric spin ensembles, demonstrating their robustness against both collective and local noise while proposing a measurement-free recovery procedure to convert local errors into correctable collective-spin errors.

Sivaprasad Omanakuttan, Tyler Thurtell, Andrew K. Forbes, Vikas Buchemmavari, Ben Q. Baragiola2026-02-03🔬 physics.atom-ph

Intrinsic atomic calibration of oscillating magnetic fields in ULF and VLF bands

This paper presents a method for the intrinsic, absolute calibration of oscillating magnetic fields in the ULF and VLF bands using a radio-frequency optically pumped cesium magnetometer, which leverages RF-induced resonance broadening to bypass the geometric limitations of traditional inductive sensors.

Zak Johnston, Paul F. Griffin, Erling Riis, Dominic Hunter, Marcin Mrozowski, Stuart J. Ingleby2026-02-03🔬 physics.atom-ph

The Three-Body Limit Cycle: Universal Form for General Regulators

This paper establishes that the three-body renormalization relation in Short-Range Effective Field Theory universally follows a real Möbius transformation characterized by three regulator-dependent parameters for general separable regulators, thereby extending the understanding of the Efimov effect's RG limit cycle beyond sharp cutoffs.

Langxuan Chen, Feng Wu, Xincheng Lin, Sebastian König, Ubirajara van Kolck, Pengfei Zhang2026-02-02🔬 physics.atom-ph

Universal Control of Symmetric States Using Spin Squeezing

This paper proposes a universal control scheme for symmetric quantum states using only coherent rotations and spin squeezing, enabling the creation of complex entangled states like Schrödinger cat and GKP states and their subsequent transfer to photonic systems for generating desired quantum light.

Nir Gutman, Alexey Gorlach, Offek Tziperman, Ron Ruimy, Ido Kaminer2026-01-30🔬 physics.atom-ph

An Imaging Radar Using a Rydberg Atom Receiver

This paper demonstrates a frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar system that utilizes a highly sensitive Rydberg atom-based subwavelength sensor as a receiver to down-convert echoes, eliminate key electrical components, and successfully image targets with a 0 dBsm radar cross-section at distances up to 5 meters with 4.7 cm range resolution.

William J. Watterson, Nikunjkumar Prajapati, Rodrigo Castillo-Garza, Samuel Berweger, Noah Schlossberger, Alexandra Artusio-Glimpse, Christopher L. Holloway, Matthew T. Simons2026-01-30🔬 physics.app-ph

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