Physical Science: New Insights and Developments Vol. 5

A Proposed Extremal Principle of the Coupling Constants in the Standard Model, Based on Informational Bekenstein-like Bounds of the Vacuum

Andrei-Lucian Drăgoi — 2026-07-18

Aims: This chapter develops a speculative extremal/extremum-principle framework for interpreting the running gauge coupling constants of the Standard Model through gravitational and Bekenstein-like information-theoretic quantities. Generally, the extremum principle is a foundational concept in physics and mathematics, asserting that natural processes often follow paths that optimize a specific quantity. This principle underlies many laws in mechanics, optics, and thermodynamics. The elegance and previously recognized applications of the extremum principle in physics were the main motivations in writing this paper.

Study Design and Duration: This is a theoretical speculative study conducted between 2025 and 2026.

Methodology and Results: The central proposal is that the inverse value of a gauge coupling can be written as a base-2 logarithm of a sector-dependent gravitational microstate count. For the electromagnetic sector, the manuscript relates the fine-structure constant at low energy, alpha approximately 0.007297, to an electro-gravitational hierarchy and obtains a logarithmic value of about 136.92, close to alpha inverse approximately 137. The same construction is extended, in approximate form, to weak and strong interactions by defining analogous maximal quantities for each sector. The manuscript reports alpha_W approximately 0.034 with alpha_W inverse approximately 29.5 and an associated logarithmic estimate of about 108, and alpha_S approximately 0.118 with alpha_S inverse approximately 8.5 and an associated logarithmic estimate of about 127. A further quantitative refinement introduces effective sector-dependent gravitational constants, estimated as G_W approximately 10^23 G and G_S approximately 10^35 G, to improve the numerical matching, given that such hypothetical strong gravity sectors may be currently undetectable at LHC because of their relative weakness compared with the non-gravitational fields probed at the LHC. The proposed framework is then connected to a local Bekenstein-bound interpretation in which minimal neutral vacuum fluctuations saturate sectoral holographic entropy bounds at characteristic radii. The manuscript estimates radii of approximately 5.8 x 10^-12 m for the electromagnetic sector, 7.9 x 10^-18 m for the weak sector, and 0.87 x 10^-15 m for the strong sector. Finally, it explores a toy entropy-based renormalization-group model and discusses a possible relation between elementary-particle rest energies, the Planck scale, and the Higgs vacuum expectation value.

Conclusions: The work is intended as a theoretical hypothesis (a conceptual perspective) rather than an established extension of the Standard Model. EXP also offers a set of falsifiable predictions.

Radio Technical Characteristics of Space Vehicle Board Antennas

V. Mikhailov — 2026-07-18

Continuous radio communication is required for the effective operation of spacecraft. The radio-technical characteristics of the antenna window that affect radio communication include the radiation pattern, efficiency, aperture conductivity, and a number of other characteristics that describe more subtle electrodynamic effects. In this study, a method for calculating the radio-technical characteristics of onboard antennas of returned spacecraft is considered. Analytical expressions for the radiation pattern, side and surface waves, efficiency factor, aperture conductivity, and reflection coefficient are derived. These characteristics determine the radio-communication range and whether communication can be maintained. Because these antennas must have a wide radiation pattern, they are configured as the open end of a transmission line. The emitter is modelled as the open end of a rectangular waveguide enclosed by radio-transparent thermal protection against aerodynamic heating. Because the electrodynamic problem must be solved in the antenna's resonant region, the electric and magnetic components of the electromagnetic field are represented by the angular spectrum of plane waves using a direct Fourier transform, and the resulting wave equations are solved. The results of the solution, using the boundary conditions, are converted into the electric and magnetic components of the radiation field and the fields of the side and surface waves using an inverse Fourier transform. These results yield expressions for the antenna characteristics described above. The obtained expressions depend on the electrical characteristics of the thermal protection material. Given the temperature dependence of the electrical characteristics and the temperature profile along the Earth-return trajectory, it is possible to calculate the characteristics of the onboard antenna as a function of the flight trajectory. The developed mathematical models are relevant because knowledge of the radio-engineering characteristics of onboard antennas under aerodynamic-heating conditions is important for ensuring continuous radio communication on the descent trajectory.

Constraints on Anisotropic Cosmological Models: Kantowski-Sachs and Bianchi Types I and III with Dust and Λ

Paulo Aguiar — 2026-07-18

Recent cosmological observations indicating an accelerated expansion of the Universe have renewed interest in models containing a positive cosmological constant (Λ). At the same time, anisotropic cosmological models have attracted attention as viable alternatives to the standard isotropic framework, particularly for understanding the early Universe and possible deviations from perfect isotropy. Motivated by the recent recognition of a positive value for the vacuum energy density and the realisation that a simple Kantowski Sachs model might fit the classical tests of cosmology, we study the qualitative behaviour of three anisotropic and homogeneous models: Kantowski–Sachs, Bianchi type-I, and Bianchi type-III universes with dust and a cosmological constant, to determine which models are physically permitted. We find that these models undergo isotropisation to the extent that observations cannot distinguish them from the standard model, except for the Kantowski–Sachs model (Ω_k0 < 0) and the Bianchi type-III model (Ω_k0 > 0) with Ω_Λ0 smaller than the critical value Ω_ΛM. Even if one imposes that the Universe should have been nearly isotropic since the last-scattering epoch (z ≈ 1000), meaning that it should have approximately equal Hubble parameters in all directions (considering the COBE four-year data), a large range of matterdensity parameters remains compatible with the Kantowski–Sachs and Bianchi type-III models if |Ω₀ +Ω_Λ0 −1| ≤ δ, for a very small δ. The Bianchi type-I model becomes exactly isotropic owing to our restrictions, and Ω₀ + Ω_Λ0 = 1 in this case. All these models approach a locally exponentially expanding state, provided that Ω_Λ > Ω_ΛM.

Cryogenic Space Rocket Engine: Understanding the Pre-ignition Transient

Philippe Fauquet-Alekhine — 2026-07-18

Ignition in cryogenic space rocket engines is preceded by a short transient phase during which the propellant feed system is swept with an inert gas before and, in some cases, during the initial admission of the cryogenic oxidiser. This chapter examines the influence of helium-sweep management on flow behaviour during the pre-ignition transient of a cryogenic rocket-engine injector. Experiments were conducted using a full-scale injector mock-up representative of the liquid-oxygen supply, with liquid nitrogen used as the simulant fluid under cryogenic conditions. The transient period was limited to 300 ms after the liquid-nitrogen valve was opened. Two operating conditions were compared: liquid-nitrogen injection after the helium sweep was stopped at valve opening, and liquid-nitrogen injection with the helium sweep continued for the first 150 ms. Pressure, impact force and two-phase density measurements were used to estimate the mass flow rate and analyse flow behaviour. The results showed unstable two-phase flow under both conditions, with oscillatory behaviour in mass flow rate, pressure drop and density. Flow-regime interpretation indicated annular or mist-type flow during the transient. Frequency analysis identified dominant oscillation modes near 13 Hz, 25 Hz and 50 Hz, consistent with low-frequency thermoacoustic oscillations. This indicates that thermoacoustic oscillations begin in the engine unit before ignition inside the combustion chamber, with possible coupling to oscillations occurring after ignition that could increase instability. Continued helium sweeping reduced the influence of the secondary 50 Hz mode and decreased the amplitude of the dominant 13 Hz mode during the later part of the transient. These observations suggest that helium sweeping can contribute to more stable injector flow before ignition.

Boolean-Based Evaluation of All-Terminal Reliability: A Karnaugh-Map Perspective

Sultan Sameer Zagzoog — 2026-07-18

Network reliability is a fundamental measure for assessing the ability of a network to maintain successful connectivity under component failures. In many practical systems, such as communication networks, transportation systems, power grids, and pipeline networks, reliability evaluation depends on whether selected (possibly all) nodes remain mutually connected despite failures of edges. This chapter presents a Boolean-based framework for evaluating the all-terminal reliability of bidirectional networks. Network success and failure are formulated as coherent switching functions of independent edge success indicators, and their probabilistic expectations are obtained through the probability transform after deriving probability-ready expressions. The proposed approach integrates path-set, spanning-tree, and cut-set methods within a unified switching-algebraic setting. The all-terminal success is expressed as the conjunction of selected two-terminal successes and, equivalently, as a disjunction of spanning trees, whereas the all-terminal failure is represented through a disjunction of vertex cut-sets. Regular Karnaugh maps are used to visualise coherence, absorption, complementation, prime implicants, and disjointness, while variable-entered Karnaugh maps are used to provide compact factored representations that preserve statistical independence and facilitate the derivation of probability-ready expressions. The methodology is demonstrated for a running example of a five-node, seven-edge network. For this example, the all-terminal success function comprises 21 spanning trees and is shellable, whereas the complementary failure function comprises 10 vertex cut-sets only but is non-shellable. The case of components with equal reliabilities is further examined through derivation of reliability and unreliability polynomials, comparison with related k-out-of-n systems, and identification of the lower boundary of useful redundancy. In addition, Boolean-based structural importance measures, including frequencies of occurrence in spanning trees or vertex cut-sets, Banzhaf indices, and Shapley–Shubik indices, are evaluated. The results indicate that Boolean algebra and Karnaugh-map techniques provide a transparent and effective approach for network-reliability computation, visualization, and structural assessment.