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PubblicazioneBubble nucleation from boson star collapse( 2026)We present a new classical mechanism for nucleation of bubbles of true vacuum. The mechanism arises when dense boson stars form in the false vacuum. As the boson stars collapse due to attractive self-interactions, the field inside the star cores is enhanced beyond the potential barrier. Subsequently the stars explode as true vacuum bubbles, and induce a cosmological phase transition. The mechanism raises the possibility that a vacuum that is stable against quantum tunneling can be vulnerable to “astrophysical” processes.
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PubblicazioneTowards a post-inflationary composite axion model( 2026)Composite axions offer a scenario where the axion emerges as a pion-like state, avoiding fine-tuning of elementary scalars and ameliorating the axion quality problem. Despite these advantages, their post-inflationary cosmology remains largely unexplored, with challenges including the domain wall problem and the presence of exotic relics. We propose two composite axion models with an effective domain wall number NDW = 1 and study the dilution of relics via a short period of inflation. One model is based on an SU(5) chiral gauge theory, while the other employs a “gauged” U(1) Peccei-Quinn symmetry in vector-like SU(N) gauge theories. We identify the viable parameter space in which axion strings re-enter the horizon before or even after the QCD transition and axion dark matter is dominantly produced from the decay of the string-wall network.
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PubblicazioneRNA Dynamics and Interactions Revealed Through Atomistic Simulations( 2026)RNA function is deeply intertwined with its conformational dynamics. In this review, we survey recent advances in the use of atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to characterize RNA dynamics in diverse contexts, including isolated molecules and complexes with ions, small molecules, or proteins. We highlight how enhanced sampling techniques and integrative approaches can improve both the precision and accuracy of the resulting structural ensembles. Finally, we examine the emerging role of artificial intelligence in accelerating progress in RNA modeling and simulation.
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PubblicazioneQ-ball perturbations with more details: Linear analysis vs lattice( 2025)We analyze in detail the interactions between the nontopological soliton (Q-ball) and its perturbations. We extend the previous literature by carefully identifying the domain of applicability of linear analysis as well as discussing Friedberg, Lee, and Sirlin Q-balls. Applications to early Universe physics are briefly commented. © 2025 authors. Published by the American Physical Society. Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.
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PubblicazioneFoxg1 promotes neuron allocation to engrams and facilitates fear memorization(SISSA, 2026-04-20)In addition to orchestrate telencephalic development, the transcription factor Foxg1 is involved in mutual positive feedback with neuronal activity. Based on that, we hypothesized an involvement of it in learning and engram dynamics. We observed that its sparse and mild neuronal upregulation improved learning abilities as evaluated by a CFC assay. This effect was specifically pronounced upon early memory retrieval and disappeared when Foxg1-GOF neurons were silenced by a Gi DREADD effector. A prevailing positive relationship was detectable between Foxg1 expression level and the probability of a neuron getting recruited into training and recall engrams, in structures involved in both short- and long-term memory formation. Moreover, Foxg1 upregulation elicited a generalized shrinkage of engrams and increased the fraction of late recall engram cells already active at the time of training. Together, these findings establish Foxg1 as a key effector linking neuronal excitability to engram allocation and memory recall.