Clay weekly context brief for the Physics category (ISO week 2026-W34).

Clay tracks publications from the Physics feed list. Below are recent items from this category, each with its source and a short description of what the publication covers when one is available in the source feed.

Recent publications:
1. High-resolution Calibrated Probabilistic Hourly Precipitation from a Deterministic Forecast
   Source: physics.ao-ph (Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12685
   An ``Attention Residual U-Net'' method is described for probabilistic quantitative precipitation forecasting (PQPF) that predicts the hourly probability of no precipitation plus the distribution of positive precipitation from a weighted mixture of two Gamma distributions.
2. Bioinspired Microactuators Fabricated via One-step Meniscus-guided 3D Nanoprinting
   Source: physics.app-ph (Applied Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12908
   We introduce a bioinspired microactuator fabricated via a one-step meniscus guided 3D nanoprinting technique.
3. Precision Positronium Spectroscopy as a Test of the Helium Ionization Energy Anomaly
   Source: physics.atom-ph (Atomic Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12747
   Precise measurements of the metastable helium (1s)(2s)$\,^3S_1$ ionization energy have revealed a 9$\sigma$ discrepancy with QED theory that persists in isotopic measurements, suggesting a leptophilic bosonic interaction as a possible explanation.
4. Integrated Alchemical and Conformational Enhanced Sampling for Solvation Free Energy Calculations
   Source: physics.chem-ph (Chemical Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12691
   Accurate solvation free energies from molecular dynamics simulations require efficient sampling of coupled slow variables, including solvent coordinates, solute conformational modes, and the alchemical coordinate $\lambda$.
5. A discrete duality finite volume method with harmonic average for semiconductor drift-diffusion equations
   Source: physics.comp-ph (Computational Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12808
   The stationary drift-diffusion model is widely used to model charge transport in semiconductor devices.
6. Exploring Students' Perceptions of Using Generative AI-Assisted Problem Posing
   Source: physics.ed-ph (Physics Education)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12523
   Problem posing, a pedagogical practice that asks students to generate novel problems or meaningful variations to problems encountered, supports transfer of learning and strengthens problem-solving skills in physics.
7. A microscopic computational simulation of [18F]FDG transport and metabolism identifies valid regimes for compartmental analysis
   Source: physics.med-ph (Medical Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12386
   18F-fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET), combined with compartmental modeling, is a powerful non-invasive imaging method for assessing cellular metabolism.
8. Monoenergetic acceleration of charge-neutralized ion bunches to GeV-scale energies by the combination of a high-current electron beam and an ionization front
   Source: physics.plasm-ph (Plasma Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12551
   Compact heavy ion accelerators have numerous applications, ranging from heavy ion fusion to carbon ion radiotherapy, and testing radiation-hardened electronics.
9. Trophic structure predicts seizure propagation in brain network models
   Source: physics.soc-ph (Physics and Society)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12382
   Epilepsy is widely regarded as a disorder driven by connectivity in the brain.
10. Real-time prediction of two geomagnetic storms using Solar Orbiter as a far upstream solar wind monitor
   Source: physics.space-ph (Space Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.13892
   We present the first real-time predictions of coronal mass ejection (CME) magnetic structure and resulting geomagnetic impact at Earth for two events using far-upstream observations from Solar Orbiter during March 2024.
11. Spatially Dense, Continuous-Variable Quantum Computing with Solid State Spin Nonlinearities
   Source: quant-ph (Quantum Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12504
   Nanomechanical structures have been investigated as a method of achieving long-lived quantum excitations at radio frequencies.
12. On the Stability of the Euler-Poisson Dark-Fluid Model
   Source: physics.flu-dyn (Fluid Dynamics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12434
   We present a stability analysis of a dark-fluid model described as a non-relativistic, rotating, non-viscous, self-gravitating fluid.
13. Reconstructive AI Spectroscopy of Charged Particle Beams
   Source: physics.acc-ph (Accelerator Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.11628
   This work introduces a physics-informed neural network (PINN) framework for reconstructing electron energy spectra from sparsely sampled attenuation-curve data.
14. A multiscale theory based on metabolic scaling connects forest dynamics to tree-size distributions
   Source: physics.bio-ph (Biological Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.11918
   Scaling relations linking species size, abundance, and resource availability are among the most robust empirical regularities in ecology.
15. Temporal Coupled-Mode Theory for Quantum-Confined Stark Tuning of Intersubband-Polaritonic Metasurfaces
   Source: physics.optics (Optics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.11538
   Electrical tuning of intersubband-polaritonic metasurfaces requires a field-consistent connection between quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) modified transitions and measurable optical scattering.
16. Critical damping in linear system with two degrees of freedom: surprises and pitfalls
   Source: physics.class-ph (Classical Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.08656
   In this Brief Communication, we establish the notion of critical damping for generic two-degree-of-freedom system.
17. Ground-to-Cable Strain Transfer in Unburied DAS on Earth and the Moon
   Source: physics.geo-ph (Geophysics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.10287
   Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) measures dynamic strain along a fiber-optic cable, offering a robust, densely-sampled alternative to traditional seismic sensors.
18. Time Travel Paradoxes and Entangled Timelines
   Source: physics.hist-ph (History and Philosophy of Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.07635
   For time travel to be consistent with the known laws of physics, the resulting paradoxes must be resolved.
19. Real-Time Requirements and Transferability in Compton Imaging: From the Detector Chain to the Application
   Source: physics.ins-det (Instrumentation and Detectors)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.10673
   Compton cameras are proposed for tasks whose value decays with delay: verifying a range during irradiation, guiding an intervention, characterising an inaccessible volume, surveying a band no telescope covers.
20. Analysis of Mixed Radiation Fields at the MoEDAL Experiment Based on Real-Time Data from a Timepix Detector Network
   Source: physics.data-an (Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.05936
   The primary objective of this work is the determination of fluences and characteristics of fast neutrons, other hadrons, and highly ionizing particles (HIPs) in the environment of the MoEDAL experiment at the Large Hadron Collider.
21. Machine learning correction of satellite precipitation is governed by mechanism purity, not algorithmic complexity: a proof-of-concept study in Hunan, China,
   Source: physics.ao-ph (Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12988
   Satellite precipitation products such as IMERG exhibit biases that vary with terrain, season, and precipitation regime, leaving the applicability boundaries of machine learning correction unclear.
22. Reconfigurable Superconducting Logic for On-Chip Photon Coincidence Detection
   Source: physics.app-ph (Applied Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.22101
   Scaling photonic quantum-information platforms requires arrays of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) for feedforward control, in which optical operations are conditioned on Bell-state measurements relying on photon-coincidence detections.
23. Critical Microwave Mach-Zehnder-Type Interferometry with Dual-LO Rydberg Atoms
   Source: physics.atom-ph (Atomic Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.13222
   High-precision phase measurement of microwave fields underpins a wide range of applications, including wireless communications, distributed radar, plasma diagnostics, and antenna metrology.
24. Evaluating Electrostatic Embedding MLIP/MM for Relative Binding Free Energy Calculations
   Source: physics.chem-ph (Chemical Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.13355
   Alchemical relative binding free energy (RBFE) calculations are limited by the fixed-charge approximation of classical force fields.
25. Using Diffusion Models to Estimate Uncertainties in Analytic Continuation
   Source: physics.comp-ph (Computational Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.13123
   Inverse problems are ubiquitous in physics, chemistry, and engineering, arising when reconstructing hidden quantities from indirect measurements.
26. Probing AI-generated physics solutions and preparing students to critique them
   Source: physics.ed-ph (Physics Education)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12533
   This study examines Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated physics solutions from two connected perspectives: how prompt design shapes these solutions and how students can be prepared to critique them.
27. Scan-Coil Delay Causes Anisotropic Signal Loss in Fast 4D-STEM
   Source: physics.med-ph (Medical Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.13106
   Fast pixelated detectors are driving 4D-STEM toward microsecond dwell times, a regime in which the finite response of the scan deflection coils becomes comparable to the dwell time itself.
28. Scalable production of nuclear battery alpha emitters using fusion neutrons
   Source: physics.plasm-ph (Plasma Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12963
   Nuclear batteries powered by alpha decay have been deployed successfully for over 60 years, on a worldwide $^{238}$Pu supply of kilograms per year.
29. Do Railway Commuters Exhibit Consistent Route Choice Rationality Across Different Contexts and Time? Evidence from Tokyo metropolitan Commutes
   Source: physics.soc-ph (Physics and Society)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.12381
   Recent advances in data collection and technology enable a deeper understanding of complex urban commuting, yet few studies have rigorously analyzed the temporal stability and Origin-Destination (OD) heterogeneity of route choice.
30. The Wave-Regulated Precursor of a Near-Parallel Interplanetary Shock Observed by Parker Solar Probe
   Source: physics.space-ph (Space Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12606
   Diffusive shock acceleration, at shocks from coronal mass ejections to supernova-remnant blast waves, presupposes a scattering wave field that the accelerated particles themselves maintain.
31. Quantum Tanner Codes at Moderate Blocklength
   Source: quant-ph (Quantum Physics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12509
   We present explicit constructions of quantum Tanner (QT) codes with good rate and distance, obtained through two complementary approaches: the left-right Cayley complex (LRCC) description and the "lifting" perspective, in which a seed Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) code is lifted by commuting left-right regular actions of a finite group $\mathcal{G}$.
32. Controlling the dynamics of an electric-field-driven droplet on a lubricant-infused micropillar surface
   Source: physics.flu-dyn (Fluid Dynamics)
   Link: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12868
   As a non-contact control approach, electric field (EF) can be utilised to drive droplet dynamics on a lubricant-infused surface (LIS), with numerous potential applications ranging from drug manufacturing to 3D printing.

Sources in this brief: physics.acc-ph (Accelerator Physics); physics.ao-ph (Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics); physics.app-ph (Applied Physics); physics.atom-ph (Atomic Physics); physics.bio-ph (Biological Physics); physics.chem-ph (Chemical Physics); physics.class-ph (Classical Physics); physics.comp-ph (Computational Physics); physics.data-an (Data Analysis, Statistics and Probability); physics.ed-ph (Physics Education); physics.flu-dyn (Fluid Dynamics); physics.geo-ph (Geophysics); physics.hist-ph (History and Philosophy of Physics); physics.ins-det (Instrumentation and Detectors); physics.med-ph (Medical Physics); physics.optics (Optics); physics.plasm-ph (Plasma Physics); physics.soc-ph (Physics and Society); physics.space-ph (Space Physics); quant-ph (Quantum Physics).
Selected 32 of 406 available items for this weekly brief.