SearcharxivSearch

arXiv subjects

Saeed Ahmad

Publications and source records attributed to Saeed Ahmad.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The Second LoViF 2026 Challenge on Real-World All-in-One Image Restoration: Methods and Results

This paper presents a review of the second LoViF Challenge on Real-World All-in-One Image Restoration. The challenge aims to advance unified image restoration under diverse real-world degradation conditions, including blur, low-light, haze, rain, and snow. It provides a common benchmark for evaluating the restoration accuracy, robustness, and generalization capability of models across multiple degradation categories within a unified framework. The competition attracted 158 registered participants, and 20 teams were included in the final ranking after their submitted results were successfully reproduced and verified. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the submitted solutions and corresponding results, highlighting recent advances in real-world all-in-one image restoration. The summarized methods and empirical findings reveal effective design strategies and establish an updated benchmark for future research in real-world low-level vision.

cs.CV

The Fourth Challenge on Image Super-Resolution ($\times$4) at NTIRE 2026: Benchmark Results and Method Overview

This paper presents the NTIRE 2026 image super-resolution ($\times$4) challenge, one of the associated competitions of the NTIRE 2026 Workshop at CVPR 2026. The challenge aims to reconstruct high-resolution (HR) images from low-resolution (LR) inputs generated through bicubic downsampling with a $\times$4 scaling factor. The objective is to develop effective super-resolution solutions and analyze recent advances in the field. To reflect the evolving objectives of image super-resolution, the challenge includes two tracks: (1) a restoration track, which emphasizes pixel-wise fidelity and ranks submissions based on PSNR; and (2) a perceptual track, which focuses on visual realism and evaluates results using a perceptual score. A total of 194 participants registered for the challenge, with 31 teams submitting valid entries. This report summarizes the challenge design, datasets, evaluation protocol, main results, and methods of participating teams. The challenge provides a unified benchmark and offers insights into current progress and future directions in image super-resolution.

cs.CV

Distillation of supersinglet states

We introduce an entanglement distillation (purification) protocol for supersinglet states composed of N qubits. The supersinglet state we target is a total spin zero state with zero spin variance, and has a fully entangled structure involving all qubits. In our distillation protocol, three copies of an initial spin zero state are measured in the local total spin basis such that a higher fidelity supersinglet state is generated upon postselection. The initial state can be prepared using conventional Bell state distillation methods distributed in a way to target the supersinglet symmetries. The protocol uses only local operations and classical communications, and is suitable for long-distance applications such as quantum clock synchronization and cryptography, and avoids a high dimensional Schur transform such that it can be used for tasks such as quantum metrology.

quant-ph

Comparing the roles of time overhead and spatial dimensions on optimal resetting rate vanishing transitions, in Brownian processes with potential bias and stochastic resetting

The strategy of stochastic resetting is known to expedite the first passage to a target, in diffusive systems. Consequently, the mean first passage time is minimized at an optimal resetting parameter. With Poisson resetting, vanishing transitions in the optimal resetting rate $r_* \to 0$ (continuously or discontinuously) have been found for various model systems, under the further influence of an external potential. In this paper, we explore how the discontinuous transitions in this context are regulated by two other factors -- the first one is spatial dimensions within which the diffusion is embedded, and the second is the time delay introduced before restart. We investigate the effect of these factors by studying analytically two types of models, one with an ordinary drift and another with a barrier, and both types having two absorbing boundaries. In the case of barrier potential, we find that the effect of increasing dimensions on the transitions is quite the opposite of increasing refractory period.

cond-mat.soft

First passage in the presence of stochastic resetting and a potential barrier

Diffusion and first passage in the presence of stochastic resetting and potential bias have been of recent interest. We study a few models, systematically progressing in their complexity, to understand the usefulness of resetting. In the parameter space of the models, there are multiple continuous and discontinuous transitions where the advantage of resetting vanishes. We show these results analytically exactly for a tent-potential, and numerically accurately for a quartic-potential relevant to a magnetic system at low temperatures. We find that the spatial asymmetry of the potential across the barrier, and the number of absorbing boundaries, play a crucial role in determining the type of transition.

cond-mat.stat-mech

Role of dimensions in first passage of a diffusing particle under stochastic resetting and attractive bias

Recent studies in one dimension have revealed that the temporal advantage rendered by stochastic resetting to diffusing particles in attaining first passage, may be annulled by a sufficiently strong attractive potential. We extend the results to higher dimensions. For a diffusing particle in an attractive potential $V({R})=k {R}^n$, in general $d$ dimensions, we study the critical strength $k = k_c$ above which resetting becomes disadvantageous. The point of continuous transition may be exactly found even in cases where the problem with resetting is not solvable, provided the first two moments of the problem without resetting are known. We find the dimensionless critical strength $κ_{c,n}(k_c)$ exactly when $d/n$ and $2/n$ take positive integral values. Also for the limiting case of a box potential (representing $n \to \infty$), and the special case of a logarithmic potential $k \ln\big(\frac{R}{a}\big)$, we find the corresponding transition points $κ_{c,\infty}$ and $κ_{c,l}$ exactly for any dimension $d$. The asymptotic forms of the critical strengths at large dimensions $d$ are interesting. We show that for the power law potential, for any $n \in (0,\infty)$, the dimensionless critical strength $κ_{c,n} \sim d^{\frac{1}{n}}$ at large $d$. For the box potential, asymptotically, $κ_{c,\infty} \sim (1 - \ln(\frac{d}{2})/d)$, while for the logarithmic potential, $κ_{c,l} \sim d$.

cond-mat.soft

Gas-phase synthesis of carbon nanotube-graphene heterostructures

Graphene and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) share the same atomic structure of hexagonal carbon lattice. Yet, their synthesis differs in many aspects, including the shape and size of the catalyst. Here, we demonstrate a floating-catalyst chemical vapor deposition (FCCVD) technique for substrate-free, single-step growth of CNT-graphene heterostructures (CNT-G-H) using ethylene as a carbon source. The formation of CNT-G-H is directly evidenced by lattice-resolved (scanning) transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and electron diffraction experiments, corroborated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our experiments show the relative number density of graphene-nanoflakes can be tuned by optimizing the synthesis conditions. Since in the applied process the formation of the structures take place in gas-suspension, the as-synthesized CNT-G-H films can be deposited on any surface in ambient temperature with an arbitrary thickness. Moreover, this process of CNT-G-H synthesis with strong universality has also been realized in multiple systems of ethylene-based FCCVD with various catalysts and set-ups.

physics.app-ph

First passage of a particle in a potential under stochastic resetting: a vanishing transition of optimal resetting rate

First passage in a stochastic process may be influenced by the presence of an external confining potential, as well as "stochastic resetting" in which the process is repeatedly reset back to its initial position. Here we study the interplay between these two strategies, for a diffusing particle in an one-dimensional trapping potential $V(x)$, being randomly reset at a constant rate $r$. Stochastic resetting has been of great interest as it is known to provide an "optimal rate" ($r_*$) at which the mean first passage time is a minimum. On the other hand an attractive potential also assists in first capture process. Interestingly, we find that for a sufficiently strong external potential, the advantageous optimal resetting rate vanishes (i.e. $r_*\to 0$). We derive a condition for this $optimal$ $resetting$ $rate$ $vanishing$ $transition$, which is continuous. We study this problem for various functional forms of $V(x)$, some analytically, and the rest numerically. We find that the optimal rate $r_*$ vanishes with the deviation from critical strength of the potential as a power law with an exponent $β$ which appears to be universal.

cond-mat.soft

Dynamical freeze-out criterion in a hydrodynamical description of Au + Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}=200$ GeV and Pb + Pb collisions at $\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}=2760$ GeV

In hydrodynamical modeling of ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions, the freeze-out is typically assumed to take place at a surface of constant temperature or energy density. A more physical approach is to assume that freeze-out takes place at a surface of constant Knudsen number. We evaluate the Knudsen number as a ratio of the expansion rate of the system to the pion scattering rate, and apply the constant Knudsen number freeze-out criterion to ideal hydrodynamical description of heavy-ion collisions at RHIC ($\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}=200$ GeV) and the LHC ($\sqrt{s_\mathrm{NN}}=2760$ GeV) energies. We see that once the numerical values of freeze-out temperature and freeze-out Knudsen number are chosen to produce similar $p_T$ distributions, the elliptic and triangular anisotropies are similar too, in both event-by-event and averaged initial state calculations.

nucl-th

Strategies to Extract Generalized Parton Distributions from Data

A number of deeply virtual exclusive experiments will allow us to access the Generalized Parton Distributions which are embedded in the complex amplitudes for such processes. The extraction from experiment is particularly challenging both because of the large number of kinematical variables and observables to be pinned down in each experimental analysis and because, at variance with inclusive experiments, the variables representing the quark momentum fraction appear integrated over in the physical amplitudes and cannot be accessed directly. We present a strategy for the extraction from experiment that makes use of constraints from both elastic and inclusive scattering as well as information from lattice QCD results.

hep-ph

Existence and stability analysis of finite 0-$π$-0 Josephson junctions

We investigate analytically and numerically a Josephson junction on finite domain with two $π$-discontinuity points characterized by a jump of $π$ in the phase difference of the junction, i.e. a 0-$π$-0 Josephson junction. The system is described by a modified sine-Gordon equation. We show that there is an instability region in which semifluxons will be spontaneously generated. Using a Hamiltonian energy characterization, it is shown how the existence of static semifluxons depends on the length of the junction, the facet length, and the applied bias current. The critical eigenvalue of the semifluxons is discussed as well. Numerical simulations are presented, accompanying our analytical results.

cond-mat.supr-con

Nucleon Tensor Charge from Exclusive $π^o$ Electroproduction

Exclusive $π^o$ electroproduction from nucleons is suggested for extracting the tensor charge and other quantities related to transversity from experimental data. This process isolates C-parity odd and chiral odd combinations of t-channel exchange quantum numbers. In a hadronic picture it connects the meson production amplitudes to C-odd Regge exchanges with final state interactions. In a description based on partonic degrees of freedom, the helicity structure for this C-odd process relates to the quark helicity flip, or chiral odd generalized parton distributions. This differs markedly from deeply virtual Compton scattering, and both vector meson and charged $π$ electroproduction, where the axial charge can enter the amplitudes. Contrarily the tensor charge enters the $π^o$ process. The connection through the helicity description of the process to both the partonic and hadronic perspectives is studied and exploited in model calculations to indicate how the tensor charge and other transversity parameters can be related to cross section and spin asymmetry measurements over a broad range of kinematics.

hep-ph

Transversity via Exclusive pi0 Electroproduction

Exclusive pi0 electroproduction from nucleons can be related to transversity, the tensor charge, and other quantities related to transversity. This process isolates C-parity odd and chiral odd combinations of t-channel exchange quantum numbers. In a hadronic picture the meson production amplitudes for intermediate energy and Q are determined by C-odd Regge exchanges with final state interactions. The helicity structure for this C-odd process relates to the quark helicity flip, or chiral odd generalized parton distributions (GPDs).Various cross sections and asymmetries will be sensitive to the transversity.

hep-ph

Chiral-Odd Generalized Parton Distributions from Exclusive pi^o Electroproduction

Exclusive $π^o$ electroproduction is suggested for extracting both the tensor charge and the transverse anomalous magnetic moment from experimental data. A connection between partonic degrees of freedom, given in terms of Generalized Parton Distributions, and Regge phenomenology is discussed. Calculations are performed using a physically motivated parametrization that is valid at values of the skewness, $ζ\neq 0$. Our method makes use of information from the nucleon form factor data, from deep inelastuc scattering parton distribution functions, and from lattice results on the Mellin moments of generalized parton distributions. It provides, therefore, a step towards a model independent extraction of generalized distributions from the data, alternative to other mathematical ansatze available in the literature.

hep-ph

Generalized Parton Distributions from Hadronic Observables: Non-Zero Skewness

We propose a physically motivated parametrization for the unpolarized generalized parton distributions, H and E, valid at both zero and non-zero values of the skewness variable, ζ. Our approach follows a previous detailed study of the ζ=0 case where H and E were determined using constraints from simultaneous fits of the experimental data on both the nucleon elastic form factors and the deep inelastic structure functions in the non singlet sector. Additional constraints at ζ\neq 0 are provided by lattice calculations of the higher moments of generalized parton distributions. We illustrate a method for extracting generalized parton distributions from lattice moments based on a reconstruction using sets of orthogonal polynomials. The inclusion in our fit of data on Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering is also discussed. Our method provides a step towards a model independent extraction of generalized distributions from the data. It also provides an alternative to double distributions based phenomenological models in that we are able to satisfy the polynomiality condition by construction, using a combination of experimental data and lattice, without resorting to any specific mathematical construct.

hep-ph

$π^o$ Electroproduction and Transversity

Exclusive $π^o$ electroproduction and related processes are suggested to investigate the chiral odd transversity distributions of quarks in the transversely polarized nucleon, $h_1(x)$, and its first moment, the tensor charge. The connection between a description based on partonic degrees of freedom, given in terms of generalized parton distributions, and Regge phenomenology is explored.

hep-ph

Generalized Parton Distributions from Hadronic Observables: Zero Skewness

We propose a physically motivated parametrization for the unpolarized generalized parton distributions. At zero value of the skewness variable, $ζ$, the parametrization is constrained by simultaneously fitting the experimental data on both the nucleon elastic form factors and the deep inelastic structure functions. A rich phenomenology can be addressed based on this parametrization. In particular, we track the behavior of the average: {\it i)} interparton distances as a function of the momentum fraction, $X$, {\it ii)} $X$ as a function of the four-momentum transfer, $t$; and {\it iii)} the intrinsic transverse momentum $k_\perp$ as a function of $X$. We discuss the extension of our parametrization to $ζ\neq 0$ where additional constraints are provided by higher moments of the generalized parton distributions obtained from {\it ab initio} lattice QCD calculations.

hep-ph

Coherent Topological Charge Structure in $CP^{N-1}$ Models and QCD

In an effort to clarify the significance of the recent observation of long-range topological charge coherence in QCD gauge configurations, we study the local topological charge distributions in two-dimensional $CP^{N-1}$ sigma models, using the overlap Dirac operator to construct the lattice topological charge. We find long-range sign coherence of topological charge along extended one-dimensional structures in two-dimensional spacetime. We discuss the connection between the long range topological structure found in $CP^{N-1}$ and the observed sign coherence along three-dimensional sheets in four-dimensional QCD gauge configurations. In both cases, coherent regions of topological charge form along membrane-like surfaces of codimension one. We show that the Monte Carlo results, for both two-dimensional and four-dimensional gauge theory, support a view of topological charge fluctuations suggested by Luscher and Witten. In this framework, the observed membranes are associated with boundaries between ``k-vacua,'' characterized by an effective local value of $θ$ which jumps by $\pm 2π$ across the boundary.

hep-lat