The interpretation of the SN1987A neutrino data continues to be hindered by significant absolute timing uncertainties and a well-known tension in the angular distributions. We perform a quantitative, high-precision alignment of the Kamiokande-II and Baksan data with the IMB clock, using for the first time the relative time offset (RTO) and reducing the temporal uncertainty by two orders of magnitude to the sub-second level. The chi-square analysis shows that Baksan's absolute timestamps require an advancement of 30.4 s, while those of Kamiokande-II require a delay of about 6.4 s. The knowledge of the unified timeline provides a necessary and rigorous basis for testing whether the first Kamiokande-II event arose from the neutronization burst - a possibility motivated by its angular properties. Our analysis favors an accretion phase electron anti-neutrino origin over a neutronization-burst origin, with a likelihood ratio of 3-6, depending on the specific MSW oscillation scenario. This result corroborates the standard interpretation - that only inverse beta decay events were detected. Our framework yields the most stringent constraints to date on the SN1987A chronology and establishes a precision benchmark for future Galactic supernova observations. less

We show that spectral features of primordial gravitational-wave backgrounds (GWB) can directly reconstruct \textit{Lagrangian} parameters of beyond-the-Standard-Model (BSM) particles, for any transient gravitational-wave production mechanism, independent of the specific source of gravitational waves. Sufficiently long-lived particles generically induce a temporary period of early matter domination in the thermal history of the Universe, which imprints two characteristic frequencies in any primordial GWB corresponding to the onset and end of this epoch. These frequencies are determined by the initial abundance, mass, and decay rate of the species. Once the underlying model and initial abundance are specified, the observed spectral features directly determine the particle mass and decay rate. We find that gravitational-wave observations probe regions of parameter space both complementary to and far beyond the reach of upcoming laboratory searches for long-lived particles. Remarkably, frequencies in the nanohertz band, where a stochastic signal has recently been reported by pulsar timing arrays, map directly onto decay lengths accessible in upcoming long-lived-particle (LLP) searches. less

Sufficiently strong first-order phase transitions (FOPTs) in the early Universe can simultaneously produce an observable stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) and a large-scale primordial magnetic field (PMF). The recent $3.8σ$ evidence for a non-zero intergalactic MF from anisotropic pair-halo searches using \textit{Fermi}-LAT data further motivates a cosmological origin of this MF. We investigate an FOPT-origin of both cosmic signatures, namely, PMF and SGWB, and the correlation between them, within a minimal axion-like particle (ALP) framework in which a global $U(1)$ symmetry is spontaneously broken through radiative corrections, with the ALP sector coupled to the Standard Model (SM) via Higgs-portal. We compute the present-day PMF amplitude and coherence length for both maximally helical and non-helical configurations, accounting for inverse cascade effects. For maximally helical configurations, we find peak field strengths up to $B_0 \sim 10^{-9}$ G at coherence length $λ_0 \sim 10^{-3}-10^{-1}$ Mpc, consistent with lower bounds on the IGMF inferred from blazar observations by MAGIC, H.E.S.S. and {\it Fermi}-LAT. We show that the ALP parameter region consistent with $γ$-ray blazar data (assuming maximal helicity) simultaneously produces SGWB detectable at future space-based interferometers, such as LISA, etc., over the ALP decay constant range $10^3~\text{GeV} \lesssim f_a \lesssim 10^5~\text{GeV}$. We directly map these onto effective ALP couplings to SM particles, e.g., photons, gluons, and fermions. This establishes a multi-messenger complementarity between cosmological observables and laboratory/astrophysical ALP searches, with the combined constraints preferring relatively heavy ALPs, $m_a \gtrsim 0.1~\text{GeV}$, in a regime accessible to next-generation intensity and energy-frontier experiments. less

Freeze-in of multi-component dark sectors is governed not only by the interaction with the thermal plasma, but also by their internal dynamics. Full thermalisation within the dark sector is not guaranteed, raising the question of impact of departures from local thermal equilibrium onto the evolution and ultimately relic abundance and momentum distribution of dark matter. In this work we explore this question in a minimal two-scalar model, which can give rise to observable signatures in indirect detection and long-lived particle searches at forward physics experiments. Focusing on the phenomenologically viable regions, we analyse the impact of non-thermal evolution on the dark matter abundance, finding deviations of up to an order of magnitude between the full phase-space treatment and the traditional number-density approach. Our results highlight the importance of phase-space level computation for accurate freeze-in predictions and further motivate dedicated numerical tools for studying the evolution of multi-component dark sectors at the phase space level. less

Temporal offsets between Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) and high-energy neutrinos provide a useful probe of propagation effects in extreme astrophysical environments. We investigate whether such offsets can be generated by photon propagation through dense axion clouds gravitationally bound to magnetars. Working within the Euler-Heisenberg effective theory extended by the axion sector, we derive the modified photon dispersion relations in the presence of a strong magnetic background and an oscillating axion field. We show that axion-photon mixing turns the magnetized vacuum into an anisotropic birefringent medium, leading to geometry-dependent deviations from luminal propagation and kinematic time delays that reach $Δt_{\perp}\simeq1.33\times10^{-12}\,\mathrm{s}$ for orthogonal propagation. Although this effect is many orders of magnitude larger than the delays expected in diffuse astrophysical backgrounds, it remains far too small to account for the macroscopic offsets discussed in current multimessenger candidates. We further show that the same birefringent medium constrains the survival of the intrinsic linear polarization of prompt GRB emission, yielding the environmental bound $g_{aγγ}\lesssim6.02\times10^{-14}\,\mathrm{GeV}^{-1}$ for benchmark magnetar-scale parameters and axion masses near $m_a\sim10^{-4}\,\mathrm{eV}$. Magnetar-hosted axion clouds thus emerge as complementary environments in which dispersive transport and polarimetric observables jointly probe axion electrodynamics. less

The magnetospheres of magnetars, a class of highly magnetized neutron stars, host magnetic fields exceeding the Schwinger limit, where Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) becomes nonlinear. In such environments, QED scattering processes are strongly modified, which may affect plasma dynamics. In this work, we apply a formalism originally developed for the study of magnetic-field effects in hot quark-gluon plasma to strong-field QED. The method resums interactions between virtual electrons and the external magnetic field, consistently incorporating the finite decay widths of excited Landau levels derived from the fermion self-energy. Using this framework, we perform the first systematic analysis of tree-level QED scattering processes in strong magnetic fields, concentrating on the processes of highest relevance for the plasma dynamics of magnetars. All resulting cross sections are provided in an open-source Python package. less

We perform a search for an X-ray monochromatic line arising from dark matter (DM) decay in the halo of the Large Magellanic Cloud. An emission line can be expected from two well-motivated DM candidates: sterile neturinos and axion-like particles (ALPs). We analyze the eROSITA-DE DR1 datasets in the energy range between 1 and 9 keV. No evidence for a DM line is found, and we set lower limits on the DM lifetime. We then recast these bounds into upper limits on the active-sterile neutrino mixing angle $\sin^2(2θ)$ and on the ALP to photon coupling $g_{aγ}$, for DM masses between 2 and 18 keV. These results set new strong constraints for masses below 5 keV. less

We review recent progress in the understanding of the preheating stage of Higgs inflation formulated within the Einstein-Cartan framework of gravity. This setup smoothly interpolates between the metric and Palatini formulations of the theory, leading to a distinctive phenomenology in an intermediate regime. Following the end of inflation, the Higgs field undergoes a non-trivial out-of-equilibrium evolution driven by tachyonic instabilities and nonlinear self-interactions, which fragment the inflaton condensate and give rise to well-localized oscillon configurations. While early studies suggested the formation of long-lived oscillons and the possibility of an extended matter-dominated phase, more recent analyses show that self-interactions at small field values render these objects transient, eventually triggering their decay and the onset of radiation domination. We discuss the implications of this dynamics for the thermal history of the Universe, the inflationary observables, and the generation of stochastic gravitational waves. less

Tentative evidence suggests that the cores of massive neutron stars consist of deconfined quark matter. We argue that the formation of such a quark matter core during a galactic supernova could be accompanied by the emission of gravitational waves in the MHz band. These signals constitute a new target for high-frequency gravitational wave detectors, demonstrating that such detectors may offer unique opportunities for testing quantum chromodynamics in an otherwise inaccessible regime. less

The production of very-high-energy (VHE, $E_γ \gtrsim 100$ GeV) gamma rays resulting from the scattering of high-energy cosmic-ray protons off axion-like particles (ALPs) populating the dark matter halo of the Milky Way is investigated. By employing the latest instrument response functions for current and future facilities, we demonstrate that ground-based VHE gamma-ray observatories, such as H.E.S.S., CTAO, and SWGO, provide a promising and complementary avenue to probe the yet uncharted ALP-proton coupling $g_{ap}$. Our results show that these experiments can reach sensitivity to couplings above $10^{-2}$ in the $1 - 10^{8}$ eV ALP mass range, a region that remains largely unexplored by supernova and neutron star cooling observations. Interestingly, we demonstrate that this search channel is capable of probing QCD axion dark matter models, assuming two benchmark models for it: the Kim-Shifman-Vainshtein-Zakharov (KSVZ) Dine-Fischler-Srednicki-Zhitnitsky (DFSZ) models, specifically within the MeV mass range. These findings highlight the potential of VHE gamma-ray astronomy to provide unique constraints on the interaction between ALPs and the baryonic sector. less