arXiv subjects

Francesco Giacosa

Publications and source records attributed to Francesco Giacosa.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Performance in Symmetry-Restricted Searches for Post-Quantum Correlations

Searches for post-quantum correlations depend on two distinct ingredients: how abundant such correlations are in the underlying correlation space and how efficiently the chosen representation preserves their distinguishability from quantum correlations. We quantify these effects by introducing the popularity rate and the projection acceptance, whose product defines the search performance. We illustrate these concepts in binary-outcome Bell scenarios with symmetry-related sites, using the CHSH and pyramid representations. Particular attention is paid to the distinction between exchange-symmetric synchronous correlations and correlations satisfying only exchange symmetry. In the synchronous quantum sector, the common-vector representation follows automatically from synchrony, whereas exchange symmetry alone defines a substantially larger correlation space. We show that this distinction can qualitatively change the effectiveness of a projected search: the pyramid representation, which retains substantial discriminatory power in the synchronous sector, has no discriminatory power when only exchange symmetry is imposed. Our results provide a simple framework for assessing and comparing searches for post-quantum correlations.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

From breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the Bell-inequality tetrahedron

A simple pedagogical discussion and visualization of certain Bell inequalities is presented with the help of a system involving two \textquotedblleft twins\textquotedblright, originally discussed in 2605.03104. These twins answer identically when the same `question' is posed, here exemplified with: Did you like breakfast/lunch/dinner? In analogy, for two entangled particles at distant locations, the `twin-like' quantum state is such that the same outcome for the same measurement (i.e. spin direction) is obtained. In the space $(X,Y,Z)$ of mixed moments (i.e. $X$ refers to breakfast-lunch correlation, being $1$ for same answers and $-1$ for opposite ones), the space of Bell local models is contained in a tetrahedron, while the quantum space is bound by an elliptope that embeds the tetrahedron. The whole no-signalling region in the $(X,Y,Z)$ space is the cube $[-1,1]^{3}.$ The twin scenario applies e.g. to the decay of the Higgs into fermions.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Symmetric Locality as a Tetrahedron: A Symmetry-Reduced Geometric Representation of the (3,3,2,2) Bell Scenario

We present a geometric characterisation of local models in the bipartite Bell scenario with three measurement settings per site and binary outcomes, i.e. the (3,3,2,2) case. Restricting attention to indistinguishable sites, thus resulting in a `symmetric local' scenario, we introduce a three-dimensional mixed-moment space in which the mixed moments are calculated under off-diagonal measurement settings. In this reduced representation, the symmetric local region assumes the remarkably simple form of a regular tetrahedron - the 'pyramid'. We prove that only three inequalities are required to characterise the interior of this region. We call them the pyramid inequalities that separate symmetric local ($\mathcal{SL}$) models from their complement, non-symmetric local ($\mathcal{\overline{SL}}$) models. Remarkably, in this representation, the 'symmetric quantum' region forms an elliptope defined by a single inequality. We also clarify the relation between the symmetry-reduced pyramid representation and the full $(3,3,2,2)$ Bell polytope in the 36-dimensional conditional-probability space, which possesses 684 facet-defining inequalities. The reduction from 684 to three reflects normalisation, symmetry reduction, and projection to the mixed-moment space. In the pyramid representation, the hierarchy $\mathcal{SL} \subsetneq \mathcal{SQ} \subsetneq \mathcal{NS}$ appears geometrically as a tetrahedron embedded in a somewhat larger curved body of symmetric quantum models, $\mathcal{SQ}$, which in turn is embedded in a cube of no-signalling models, $\mathcal{NS}$. This provides a unified three-dimensional visualisation of symmetric local, symmetric quantum, and symmetric post-quantum correlations. The qualitative advantages of the pyramid representation over the standard one-dimensional CSHS representation of the $(2,2,2,2)$ case are also discussed.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Quantum Late-Time Decay and Channel Dependence

Quantum mechanics predicts deviations from exponential decay at short and long times, yet experimental evidence is limited. We report a power-law tail after $\sim$10 lifetimes in two fluorescent compounds (erythrosine~B and eosine Y), confirmed by two detectors probing distinct bands but yielding different power coefficients. The data match a divergent but normalizable spectral density, and theory predicts oscillations as a future test. A novel and general result is that in multichannel QM (and QFT) decay, the lifetime is universal, but the late-time deviations are channel- (or band-) dependent, a feature consistent with our data.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2026

Scattering off unstable states

Unstable states that live long enough may appear as in(out)going particles in scattering experiments. Yet, the standard QFT approach strictly applies only to fully stable asymptotic states. This is evident when scattering involving unstable particles develops a $t$-channel singularity at specific angles. We employ a finite-time formalism leading to analytic results without the singularity (even in the infinite-time limit), thus solving the problem at a phenomenological level. In turn, the approach also justifies treating long-lived particles, like weakly decaying pions, as stable during strong interactions.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2026

Isospin-symmetry violation -- kaons and beyond (ISO-BREAK 25: summary and outlook)

This report summarizes the presentations and discussions during the ISO-BREAK 25 Workshop ``Isospin symmetry violation: kaons and beyond'', which was held at Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce on October 23-25, 2025. We address the current status of the isospin-symmetry breaking discovered by NA61/SHINE in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the CERN SPS, its confirmation by other experiments and studies in \ee and deep inelastic scattering. In addition, we discuss the theoretical status as well as we outline experimental and theoretical priorities towards understanding this currently unexplained phenomenon.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2026

Evidence of isospin-symmetry violation in high-energy collisions of atomic nuclei: Theoretical and Phenomenological considerations

Recently, the NA61/SHINE collaboration at the CERN SPS reported evidence of isospin-symmetry violation in high-energy nuclear collisions [Nature Commun. 16, 2849 (2025)]. The effect was observed in the relative yields of charged and neutral kaons and cannot be explained by known sources of isospin symmetry breaking. In this work, we extend the theoretical and phenomenological aspects of that study. We discuss the historical background and introduce the concepts of isospin transformations and symmetry. Importantly, we relate isospin symmetry to the QCD flavor symmetry, and we present both conceptual and analytical proofs demonstrating the equality of the mean multiplicities of charged and neutral kaons for an initial ensemble of colliding systems that is invariant under charge-symmetry transformation.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2026

Chiral anomaly: from vacuum to Columbia plot

We use a low-energy effective approach, the extended linear sigma model, to study realizations of the $U(1)_A$ anomaly with different operators, linear and quadratic in the 't Hooft determinant. After discussing the parameterization in agreement with vacuum's phenomenology, we investigate the influence of these different anomaly terms on the Columbia plot: the square of the 't Hooft determinant favors a cross-over for small quark masses. Finally, we also discuss the extension of the 't Hooft determinant to cases in which different mesonic multiplets interact with each other. Novel chiral anomalous interaction terms involving excited (pseudo)scalar states, pseudovector, and pseudotensor mesons are expressed via a mathematical extension of the determinant, denoted as a polydeterminant.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

The weak decay constant of positronium

The positronium, as the lightest purely leptonic bound state, provides an ideal testing ground for a quantum field--theoretical (QFT) description of composite systems. While its electromagnetic annihilation is well understood as the dominant decay channel, the weak interaction sector of positronium is strongly suppressed. In this work, we extend the composite QFT framework previously developed for the two--photon decay and introduce the concept of a weak decay constant for para--positronium. This constant, defined in analogy with those of pseudoscalar mesons, quantifies the coupling of the positronium field to the weak axial current and serves as a measure of its internal structure in the electroweak domain. Its numerical value $ f_{P} \simeq \frac{m_{e}}{2\sqrtπ} α^{3/2} = 89.8593~\mathrm{eV} $ is, as expected, small. Nevertheless, the resulting expression and a related comparison to quarkonium systems allow us to determine the vertex function linking the positronium to its own constituents.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Two-exponential decay of Acridine Orange

In this work, we experimentally study the fluorescence decay of Acridine Orange at late times, in order to test whether a late-time power-law behaviour emerges, a feature expected to be very small but consistent with quantum mechanical and quantum field theoretical predictions. Using two distinct photon detectors, we find that the data are well described by a sum of two exponential functions with lifetimes $τ_1 = 1.7331 \pm 0.001$ ns and $τ_2 = 5.948 \pm 0.012$ ns, in agreement with values reported in the literature. While no deviation from the exponential decay law is observed, this study serves as a reliable test for the experimental setup and enables a precise determination of the sample lifetimes.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Emergence of the polydeterminant in QCD

A generalization of the determinant appears in particle physics in effective Lagrangian interaction terms that model the chiral anomaly in Quantum Chromodynamics (PRD 97 (2018) 9, 091901 PRD 109 (2024) 7, L071502), in particular in connection to mesons. This \textit{polydeterminant function}, known in the mathematical literature as a mixed discriminant, associates $N$ distinct $N\times N$ complex matrices into a complex number and reduces to the usual determinant when all matrices are taken as equal. Here, we explore the main properties of the polydeterminant applied to (quantum) fields by using a formalism and a language close to high-energy physics approaches. We discuss its use as a tool to write down novel chiral anomalous Lagrangian terms and present an explicit illustrative model for mesons. Finally, the extension of the polydeterminant as a function of tensors is shown.

math-ph↗

arXiv2025

Isospin kaon anomaly and its consequences

Isospin symmetry is well fulfilled in the QCD vacuum, as evidenced by small mass differences of isospin partners and suppressed isospin-violating decays. Recently, the NA61/SHINE collaboration reported an unexpectedly large isospin-violating charged-to-neutral kaon ratio in Ar-Sc heavy-ion collisions (HIC).Using a quark recombination approach, we introduce a function of kaon multiplicities that reduces to unity in the isospin-symmetric limit independently of the scattering energy and type of nuclei. Using this quantity, we show that nucleus-nucleus collisions violate isospin sizably (at the $6.4σ$--level), while proton-proton data on kaon multiplicities do not. We predict other isospin-violating enhancements in HIC, such as the proton-to-neutron ratio $p/n \sim 1.2$ and the hyperon ratio $Σ^{+}/Σ^{-}\sim1.4$. Finally, we extend the approach to antiquarks in the initial state, useful for e.g. pion-nucleus scattering reactions.

nucl-th↗

arXiv2025

Ordinary and exotic mesons in the extended Linear Sigma Model

The extended Linear Sigma Model (eLSM) is a hadronic model based on the global symmetries of QCD and the corresponding explicit, anomalous, and spontaneous breaking patterns. In its basic three-flavor form, its mesonic part contains the dilaton/glueball as well as the nonets of (pseudo)scalar and (axial-)vector mesons, thus chiral symmetry is linearly realized. In the chiral limit and neglecting the chiral anomaly, only one term -- within the dilaton potential -- breaks dilatation invariance. Spontaneous symmetry breaking is implemented by a generalization of the Mexican-hat potential, with explicit symmetry breaking responsible for its tilting. The overall mesonic phenomenology up to 2 GeV is in agreement with the PDG compilation of masses and decay widths. The eLSM was enlarged to include other conventional quark-antiquark nonets (pseudovector and orbitally excited vector mesons, (axial-)tensor mesons, etc.), as well as two nonets of hybrid mesons, the lightest one with exotic quantum numbers $J^{PC} = 1^{-+}$ not allowed for $\bar{q}q$ objects such as the resonance $π_1(1600)$ and the recently discovered $η_1(1855)$. In doing so, different types of chiral multiplets are introduced: heterochiral and homochiral multiplets, which differ in the way they transform under chiral transformations. Moreover, besides the scalar glueball, the tensor, the pseudoscalar and the vector glueballs were coupled to the eLSM: the scalar $f_0(1710)$ turns out to be mostly gluonic, the tensor glueball couples strongly to vector mesons, and the pseudoscalar glueball couples can be assigned to $X(2370)$ or $X(2600)$. The eLSM contains chiral partners on an equal footing and is therefore well suited for studies of chiral symmetry restoration at nonzero temperature and densities. The QCD phase diagram and the location of the critical endpoint were investigated within this framework.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Two-photon decay of para-positronium within a composite approach

The decay of the para-positronium into two photons is studied in the framework of a composite Quantum Field Theoretical approach. This amounts to the evaluation of the electron-positron dressing together with the Weinberg compositeness condition for the positronium and the triangle-shaped diagram with virtual electrons circulating in it, leading to the two-photon final state. An important role is played by the positronium-electron-positron vertex, which is linked to the wave function of the para-positronium. We show how possible choices for the vertex function affect the $γγ$ decay rate. Outlooks to other decay channels and to other positronia are presented.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Chiral oscillations in finite time quantum field theory

We demonstrate how chiral oscillations of a massive Dirac field can be described within quantum field theory using a finite-time interaction picture approach, where the mass term in the Lagrangian is treated as a perturbative coupling between massless fields of definite chirality. We derive the formula for chiral oscillations at the fourth order in the perturbative expansion, obtaining a result consistent with the formula derived by means of other methods. Furthermore, we illustrate how the perturbative framework of chiral oscillations can effectively describe production processes where an electron must exhibit both left chirality and positive helicity, as in decay $π^- \to e^- + {\bar ν}_e$. Finally, we argue that, in this perturbative view, chiral oscillations are also essential for detecting the decay products in such processes.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2025

Anomalous $U(1)_A$ couplings and the Columbia plot

When the quark masses are lighter than those in QCD, the standard lore is that a chiral transition of first order must emerge for three, light flavors. Recently, however, numerical simulations on the lattice suggest that the chiral transition is of second order in the chiral limit. Using an extended linear sigma model in the mean field approximation, we study the relation between terms which break the anomalous, $U(1)_A$ symmetry and the order of the chiral phase transition, especially how a chiral transition of second order can arise for three, massless flavors. We note that in an (unphysical) region of the "Columbia" phase diagram, when the strange quark mass is light and negative, corresponding to topological angle $θ=π$, the $CP$ symmetry is spontaneously broken.

hep-ph↗

arXiv2024

Scalar field with a time-independent classical source, not trivial after all: from vacuum decay to scattering

Historically it has been believed that a time-independent classical source has no effect on the scattering of relativistic uncharged field, in contrast with single particle quantum mechanics. In this work we show that the dynamics is not trivial. We solve exactly for the scattering amplitudes and find that a key ingredient is the production of particles from the unstable vacuum, conceptually similar to the Schwinger mechanism. We compute exactly the probabilities for the vacuum to decay in $n$ particles. The time dependence of such probabilities displays interesting properties such as the quantum Zeno effect and in particular has no regime where the exponential decay law is a good approximation. We show that the trivial scattering found in the past is the byproduct of the adiabatic switching of the interaction. In fact, it is not possible to switch off the interaction (adiabatically or otherwise) at distant times and recover the exact results. Finally, this non trivial vacuum behavior is a source of particle production. We argue that such non-perturbative calculations can be phenomenologically relevant for the production processes that are suppressed at the lower orders in perturbation theory, for instance dilaton production in a medium.

hep-th↗

arXiv2024

Nonexponential decay law of the 2P-1S transition of the H-atom

We evaluate numerically the survival probability $P(t)$ for the unstable 2P excited state of the hydrogen atom, which decays into the ground-state 1S emitting one photon ($τ\sim 1.595$ ns), thus extending the analytic study of Facchi and Pascazio, Physics Letters A 241 (1998). To this end, we first determine the analytic expression of the spectral function of the unstable state, which allows for an accurate evaluation of $P(t)$. As expected, for short and long times $P(t)$ shows deviations from the exponential law: a `Zeno' region occurs at extremely short times (up to $\sim 0.3$ attosec, followed by a longer `anti-Zeno' domain (up to $\sim 50$ attosec); at long times above $125 τ$, the decay law scales as $t^{-4}$.

quant-ph↗