We constructed a four-Higgs-doublet model (4HDM) invariant under $\textit{D}$ $_{5}$ symmetry and investigated its complete neutral vacuum structure in detail. Assuming explicit CP conservation in the scalar potential, we examined whether CP symmetry can be spontaneously broken. We provided a complete list of all possible real and complex vacua, along with the constraints on the potential parameters required for each vacuum solution to exist. We also discussed the positive-definiteness conditions that the Hessian must satisfy for each vacuum to be a local minimum of the potential. The results show that, after spontaneous symmetry breaking, some complex vacua lead to spontaneous CP violation in the potential, whereas the remaining complex vacua still preserve CP conservation. Among these CP-violating complex vacua, one can be regarded as the most general form. Furthermore, we discussed the relationship between real and complex vacua.

China

Dong-Ping Fu

Michihisa Takeuchi

Spontaneous CP violation in the $\textit{D}$ $_{5}$-symmetric four-Higgs-doublet models * Supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, the One Hundred Talent Program of Sun Yat-sen University, China, and the Guangdong Natural Science Foundation (2026A1515012641)

We study the equation of state (EoS) of QCD matter in a bottom-up holographic setup that combines an Einstein-Maxwell-dilaton (EMD) sector with an improved Karch-Katz-Son-Stephanov (KKSS) flavor action. In the probe approximation, we perform an inverse reconstruction of the model functions by parameterizing them with neural networks and solving the EMD equations via a differentiable ODE solver (a neural ODE framework), calibrating the model to a reference thermodynamic table for $(2+1)$ -flavor QCD at finite temperature and finite baryon chemical potential. The reconstructed model functions are then parameterized and kept fixed across thermodynamic states. Next, viewing the EMD sector as an effective description of pure Yang-Mills theory, we fix its parameters by fitting the $\mu_B=0$ lattice pure-glue EoS using a hybrid optimization strategy. Finally, we go beyond the probe limit and solve the coupled EMD+KKSS equations with back-reaction, using the pure-glue-calibrated EMD sector as a fixed input and varying the KKSS couplings to compare with the $\mu_B=0$ two-flavor lattice EoS. We find a visible mismatch and a high-temperature behavior in which the back-reacted dimensionless ratios approach a nearly $\beta_1$ -insensitive plateau close to the pure-glue baseline, providing a simple structural diagnostic for the present flavor-sector truncation.

Yutian Deng

Mei Huang

Lin Zhang

Holographic QCD equation of state constrained by lattice QCD: neural-ODE for probe-limit and a back-reaction test * Start-up funding from Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU) (Y. Deng and L. Zhang); National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (12235016) (L. Zhang and M. Huang) and 12221005 (M. Huang)

A new measurement of the $^{65}$Cu($\textit{γ}$, $\textit{n}$)$^{64}$Cu photoneutron cross section is performed using quasi-monoenergetic, tunable $\textit{γ}$-ray beams produced at the Shanghai Laser Electron Gamma Source (SLEGS). The energy spectrum of the SLEGS $\textit{γ}$-ray beams incident on the isotopically enriched $^{65}$Cu target is monitored using a BGO detector, while the photoneutron yields are determined with a moderated $^{3}$He detection array with high and flat efficiency. Within the energy range of $10.1 \le E_\gamma \le 17.6$ MeV, the measured $\sigma(E_\gamma)$ data have an uncertainty of $\lesssim 4$ %, and a pronounced giant-dipole peak is observed at $E_\gamma \simeq 16.65$ MeV with a maximal cross section of $\sigma_{\text{max}} \simeq 137$ mb. These photoneutron data are compared with previous experimental results and are employed to extract the $\textit{γ}$-ray strength function of $^{65}$Cu above the neutron threshold. Furthermore, we calculate the radiative neutron capture cross sections and astrophysical reaction rates for $^{64}$Cu, which is a short-lived intermediate nucleus whose reaction rate controls the local abundance distribution in the weak $\textit{s}$-process. It is found that the calculated $^{64}$Cu($\textit{n,}$ $\textit{γ}$)$^{65}$Cu data have an overall agreement with ENDF/B-VIII.0, JEFF-3.3, and TENDL-2023 evaluations, and the corresponding astrophysical reaction rates are consistent with those reported in the JINA REACLIB database.

Yu-Long Shen

Zi-Rui Hao

Qian-kun Sun

Hong-Wei Wang

Long-Xiang Liu

Hang-Hua Xu

Yue Zhang

Sheng Jin

Kai-Jie Chen

Meng-Die Zhou

Zhen-Wei Wang

Meng-Ke Xu

Xiang-Fei Wang

Chang Yang

Pu Jiao

Chun-Wang Ma

Gong-Tao Fan

Zhi-Cai Li

Wen Luo

Photoneutron cross section measurements on $^{65}$Cu: toward understanding ($\textit{n,}$ $\textit{γ}$) cross sections relevant to weak $\textit{s}$-process nucleosynthesis * This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program (2023YFA1606901), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12575133, 12505144)

In this study, we investigate the possibility of enhancing the di-jet resonance searches by tagging the final state radiation (FSR) jet using an event-level deep neural network. It is found that solely relying on the 4-momenta of the leading three jets allows the algorithm to achieve good discriminating power that can identify the hardest FSR jet in the signal while rejecting other soft jets. Once the invariant mass is corrected with the tagged FSR jet, the mass resolution of the signal is greatly enhanced, and the sensitivity of the search is also improved by more than 10%. By crafting the input variables carefully, the algorithm introduces minimal mass sculpting for the background, and its applicability extends to a broad mass range. This work proves that FSR jet tagging can potentially enhance di-jet resonance searches, suiting various stages of the physics programmes at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC).

Bingxuan Liu

Yuxuan Shen

Yuanshunzi Sui

Enhancing di-jet resonance searches via a final-state radiation jet tagging algorithm * Bingxuan Liu is supported by Shenzhen Campus of the Sun Yat-sen University under project 74140-12255011, and by the Young Scientists Fund (C Class) of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12405122). Both Yuxuan Shen and Yuanshunzi Sui are supported by College Students’ Innovative Entrepreneurial Training Plan Program

We investigate the collider signatures of a maximally flavor-violating $ U(1)_{L_\mu-L_\tau} $ model, where a new gauge boson $ Z^\prime $ and scalar triplets induce lepton flavor-changing interactions in the $\textit{μ}$-$\textit{τ}$ sector. Focusing on four-lepton final states at multi-TeV lepton colliders, we conduct a detailed analysis of cross sections, asymmetries, and polarization effects. We show that the signal cross section is highly sensitive to $ m_{Z^\prime} $ and the effective parameters $ \tilde{g}/m_{Z^\prime} $ , whereas it remains largely insensitive to the triplet Yukawa couplings within the phenomenologically allowed region. The forward-backward asymmetry exhibits a characteristic monotonic dependence on $ m_{Z^\prime} $ , and beam polarization can significantly suppress the Standard Model backgrounds while enhancing new physics contributions. We find that, in the phenomenologically allowed parameter space, the predicted observables remain highly sensitive to the underlying model parameters. These results show that multi-lepton final states are powerful probes of the $ U(1)_{L\mu - L_\tau} $ framework and can offer valuable guidance for future searches at muon and electron-positron colliders.

Jianing Qin

Fei Huang

Honglei Li

Zhi-Long Han

Jin Sun

Collider probes of four-lepton final states in maximally flavor-violating ${U(1)_{L_\mu-L_\tau}} $ model * Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (12505112, 11805081), Shandong Province Natural Science Foundation (ZR2024QA138, ZR2022MA056) and State Key Laboratory of Dark Matter Physics, University of Jinan Disciplinary Cross-Convergence Construction Project 2024 (XKJC- 202404) and Jin Sun is supported by IBS under the project code, (IBS-R018-D1)

The 2HDM+S is the singlet extension of the two-Higgs-doublet model (2HDM). The singlet field and its mixing with the 2HDM Higgs sector lead to new contributions to the electroweak precision observables, in particular, the oblique parameters. In this study, we performed a systematic investigation of the impacts of each mixing angle on the oblique parameters. We adopted the mixing angles and physical Higgs masses as our parameters, which allow a mapping when a specific symmetry structure of the Higgs potential and various theoretical considerations are taken into account. We identified five benchmark cases, where at most one mixing angle was nonzero, and analyzed the 95% C.L. allowed parameter space using the oblique parameters. In the alignment limit of the 2HDM, we find that, other than the usual mass relations of $m_H\sim m_{H^\pm}$ or $m_A\sim m_{H^\pm}$ , electroweak precision measurements also impose an upper limit on the neutral Higgs masses. In the cases with nonzero singlet mixing with the 2HDM Higgses $\textit{H}$ or $\textit{A}$, we find approximate mass relations of $c^2_{\alpha_{HS}} m_{H} + s^2_{\alpha_{HS}}m_{h_S} = m_{H^\pm}$ or $c^2_{\alpha_{AS}} m_{A} + s^2_{\alpha_{AS}}m_{A_S} = m_{H^\pm}$ . These relations are universal to the 2HDM+S models, with or without further symmetry assumption. We also studied the non-alignment limit of the 2HDM+S, which typically has tighter constraints on the masses and mixing angles. Finally, we examined the complementarity between the electroweak precision analyses and the Higgs coupling precision measurements.

Cheng Li

Juxiang Li

Shufang Su

Wei Su

Electroweak precision constraints of the 2HDM+S * Cheng Li, Juxiang Li, and Wei Su are supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (12305115), Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (202206193000001, 20220816094256002), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Gamma-Gamma Collider and Its Comprehensive Applications (2024KSYS001), and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Advanced Particle Detection Technology (2024B1212010005). Juxiang Li is also supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, and the Sun Yat-sen University Science Foundation. Shufang Su is supported by the Department of Energy (DEFG02-13ER41976/DE-SC0009913)

Electroweak (EW) amplitudes in the gauge-Goldstone five-component formalism have a distinctive property: gauge symmetry is imprinted in the amplitudes, manifested as the massive Ward identity (MWI) $ k^M{\cal{M}}_M=0 $ . In this study, we used the HELAS package to numerically study gauge symmetry in EW amplitudes. First, we directly tested gauge symmetry by examining the MWI of amplitudes. Second, we modified the couplings within a vertex and among vertices to check if and how the MWI changes. Third, we tested gauge symmetry by considering the couplings modified by operators from the standard model effective field theory (SMEFT). Similar to the standard model, there are relations between different couplings that are protected by gauge symmetry. We observed that, if we modify the couplings to deviate from the relations, the MWI is violated. In contrast, the MWI is restored when the relations between couplings reduce to those in the SMEFT.

Wang-Fa Li

Junmou Chen

Qian-Jiu Wang

Zhao-Huan Yu

Numerical study on the gauge symmetry of electroweak amplitudes * Junmou Chen is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (12205118), Wang-Fa Li, Qian-Jiu Wang, and Zhao-Huan Yu are supported by the Guangzhou Science and Technology Planning Project (2024A04J4026)

This study investigates the intrinsic electric dipole moment (EDM) of the $\textit{τ}$ lepton, which is an important quantity in the search for physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). In preparation for future measurements at the Super Tau-Charm Facility (STCF), we employ Monte Carlo simulations of the $ e^+e^- \rightarrow \tau^+\tau^- $ process and optimize the analysis methodology for EDM extraction. Machine learning techniques are implemented to efficiently identify signal events ( $ \tau^\pm\rightarrow \pi^\pm\pi^0\nu_\tau $ ), which result in a significant improvement in signal-to-noise ratio. Our optimized event selection algorithm achieves 80.0% signal purity with 6.3% efficiency. We develop an analytical approach for $\textit{τ}$ lepton momentum reconstruction and derive the squared spin density matrix along with optimal observables, which maximize the sensitivity to $ d_\tau $ . The relationship between these observables and the EDM is established with the estimated sensitivity of $ |d_\tau| \lt 3.89\times 10^{-18}\,e\cdot\mathrm{cm} $ at a 68% confidence level. These results provide a foundation for future experimental measurements of the $\textit{τ}$ lepton EDM in STCF experiments.

Xulei Sun

Yongcheng Wu

Xiaorong Zhou

Sensitivity study of the tau lepton electric dipole moment at the Super Tau-Charm Facility * Supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFA1602200, 2023YFA1607200); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (12341501, 12341503, 12341504); the international partnership program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (211134KYSB20200057). Xulei Sun is supported by the Undergraduate Research Program of the University of Science and Technology of China and the Xinhe Scholar Program of the School of the Gifted Young

In this study, we investigate a two-component scalar dark matter framework featuring two singlet scalar fields as dark matter candidates. To ensure vacuum stability, we employ copositive criteria for the scalar potential. We analyze four distinct copositive scenarios characterized by specific negative parameter configurations using direct detection constraints. A comprehensive parameter space scan is performed under joint constraints from the observed dark matter relic density and direct detection experiments. The different signs of couplings not only correspond to different copositive criteria but also contribute to different parameter spaces caused by interference. The allowed values of quartic couplings are different for the four different cases; however, they all require the new Higgs to play a dominant role in determining dark matter relic density within the viable parameter space.

Xin-Xin Qi

Hao Sun

Copositive criteria for a two-component dark matter model * Hao Sun is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12075043 and 12147205). XinXin Qi is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12447162)

Lepton flavor violation (LFV) offers a powerful probe of physics beyond the Standard Model, particularly in models addressing neutrino masses and the baryon asymmetry of the universe. In this study, we investigate LFV processes within the framework of type II seesaw leptogenesis, where the Standard Model is extended by an $S U(2)_L$ triplet Higgs field. We focus on key LFV processes, including $\mu^+\to e^+\gamma$ , $\mu^+ \to e^+e^-e^+$ , and $\mu \rightarrow e$ conversion in nuclei, deriving stringent constraints on the parameter space from current experimental data. We scan the 3$\textit{σ}$ range of neutrino oscillation parameters and identify the most conservative bounds consistent with existing measurements. Our results reveal that the MEG experiment currently provides the most stringent constraints in the normal ordering (NO) scenario, while the SINDRUM experiment offers comparable sensitivity in the inverted ordering (IO) case. Future experiments, such as MEG II, Mu3e, Mu2e, and COMET, are predicted to significantly improve the sensitivity, testing larger regions of the parameter space.

Chengcheng Han

Yijun Han

Sihui Huang

Zhanhong Lei

Probing type II seesaw leptogenesis through lepton flavor violation * Chengcheng Han acknowledges supports from the National Key R&D Program of China (2023YFA1606100), the Sun Yat-Sen University Science Foundation, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities at Sun Yat-sen University (24qnpy117) and the Key Laboratory of Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (MOE) of Shanghai Jiao Tong University