Scalability gaps in Physics

Representative open questions

Showing 30 of 35 — one per source paper, highest-quality first.

• Electrically switchable continuous phase liquid crystal Fresnel zone plate (2026) · doi

  While the paper demonstrates millimeter-scale continuous phase FZPs fabricated via TPP-DLW, the scalability to centimeter-scale monolithic apertures remains unvalidated. Two proposed approaches—holographic beam splitting parallelization for simultaneous multi-voxel writing and UV nanoimprint lithography replication using an electroformed nickel shim master—are described conceptually but lack experimental demonstration of their effectiveness for scaling the liquid crystal FZP fabrication process.

• Recent advances in spatial light modulator-based three-dimensional optical imaging (invited) (2026) · doi

  Grating-based in-line geometric-phase-shifting incoherent digital holographic systems for 3D videography (reference 63) have been demonstrated at single timepoints, but sustained performance during continuous video acquisition with varying scene depth, motion artifacts, and photodegradation of fluorescent specimens requires evaluation.

• Collective purification of interacting quantum networks beyond symmetry constraints (2026) · doi

  The framework addresses graph isomorphism and spin network characterization via NMR, but computational methods for determining symmetry-breaking purification strategies on general graphs with >100 nodes are not addressed. Scalability of algorithms for identifying optimal control pulses in large-scale quantum networks with complex exchange interaction topologies remains uncharacterized.

• Excitation-detector principle and the algebraic theory of planon-only Abelian fracton orders (2026) · doi

  The duality between the p-torsion filtration of M and its dual M* is proven using abstract A-modules and R-module homomorphisms, but the paper does not address how this duality manifests computationally for high-rank fracton charge hierarchies or provide bounds on the complexity of computing dual filtration structures.

• Entanglement entropy as a probe of topological phase transitions (2026) · doi

  The entanglement entropy diagnostic ΔSA has been validated only for 1D SSH models with specific disorder types (binary and quasiperiodic). Extension to 2D Chern insulators and 3D Z2 topological insulators requires investigation of how entanglement scaling and bulk-edge topology interplay differs in higher dimensions.

• Describing the wave function collapse process with a state-dependent Hamiltonian (2026) · doi

  The state-dependent Hamiltonian formalism is demonstrated only for single quantum systems; the extension to non-locally separated systems requires instantaneous information sharing to coordinate the appropriate measuring Hamiltonians, which the authors acknowledge raises fundamental concerns about the theory's physical viability beyond single-system measurement.

• Quantum skyrmions and high dimensional entanglement mediated by nanophotonics (2026) · doi

  The SPP exponential decay calculations (8% amplitude loss from input to output coupler, 11% in output coupler) are based on the imaginary component of the wave vector; however, the sensitivity of these decay values to fabrication tolerances in the grating periodicity (the paper mentions grating line width of ~λ_spp), inner/outer radii specifications, and surface roughness of the milled structures has not been addressed.

• Quantum chemistry studies of unbranched fluoropolymers (2011) · doi

  The quantum chemistry calculations for fluoropolymers have only been performed on model molecules up to C10F2H20; extension of these computational methods to longer chain oligomers and polymeric chains with progressively higher fluorination degrees to establish scaling patterns for NMR chemical shifts and IR spectral behavior is needed.

• Fractional paradigms in quantum chemistry (2021) · doi

  The stability, convergence rate, and computational scaling properties of constant-order and variable-order fractional numerical methods remain largely unknown within quantum chemistry. Systematic benchmarking studies comparing fractional quantum chemical methods against classical approaches on test systems are essential to establish practical viability.

• Light-induced bimerons in a chiral magnet (2026) · doi

  The femtosecond laser-induced bimeron generation was demonstrated only in Co8Zn8Mn4 thin plates with thicknesses of 90-200 nm; the feasibility of optical writing of topological spin textures in thicker samples or other chiral magnet systems with in-plane magnetization remains unexplored.

• M-dissipative generalized impedance boundary conditions, discrete spectra, and pointwise multipliers between fractional Sobolev spaces (2026) · doi

  The proof of Theorem 1.1 relies on the compact embedding H^{1/2}(∂Ω) ↪ L^2(∂Ω) ↪ H^{-1/2}(∂Ω), but the extension to non-Lipschitz or fractal boundaries where such Sobolev embeddings may fail, or to weighted Sobolev spaces with variable exponents, is not explored.

• Cups and Gates I: Cohomology Invariants and Logical Quantum Operations (2026) · doi

  The paper establishes that nontrivial ℓ-fold integrated cup products exist for all ℓ ≥ 1, but does not determine whether these operations remain implementable with constant depth as ℓ increases, or whether circuit depth grows polynomially or exponentially with the Clifford hierarchy level for the specific code families presented.

• Basis Sets in Quantum Chemistry (2017) · doi

  The applicability and accuracy of composite extrapolation methods (CBS, Gn, Wn, HEAT, cc-CA) achieving sub-kJ/mol accuracy has not been systematically tested for systems containing more than approximately 10 atoms. The paper explicitly identifies this computational scalability limit but does not provide guidance on how to adapt these composite procedures for larger molecular systems without prohibitive computational costs.

• Conservation of magnetic-helicity fluctuations due to spatial decorrelation of fluxes in decaying MHD turbulence (2026) · doi

  Recent numerical results indicate that very high resolution and robust seeding are needed to properly resolve plasmoid-mediated fast reconnection in undriven two-dimensional MHD, suggesting limitations of current simulation capabilities.

• Investigating cosmic strings using large-volume hydrodynamical simulations in the context of JWST's massive UV-bright galaxies (2026) · doi

  Higher mass resolution simulations are required to provide more conclusive evidence for or against the cosmic string explanation, particularly for the Gµ = 10^-10 tension runs.

• Achieving sub-pm wavelength regression via minimum-phase in a single-stream photonic IC (2026) · doi

  The demonstrated 10 nm operational bandwidth of the photonic IC is set by intentional delay-line design choices and by practical limitations of the directional couplers, suggesting broader bandwidth operation requires further development.

• Ultrathin Quarter-Waveplates Based on Two-Dimensional Anisotropic NbOCl2 (2026) · doi

  While giant optical anisotropy has been demonstrated in various 2D materials, the scalability and reproducibility of manufacturing ultrathin NbOCl2 waveplates for commercial applications remains unexplored.

• Numerical Solutions of Certain Time-Independent Quantum Mechanics Problems by Using the Python Environment (2024) · doi

  The Python implementation uses only 100 data points for plotting; higher resolution analysis and computational efficiency optimization are not discussed.

• A Time-Splitting Fourier-Collocation Method for Computing the Nonlinear Dirac Equation with Perfectly Matched Layers (2026) · doi

  The paper does not discuss extension to three-dimensional NLD equations with PML, only addressing one and two-dimensional cases.

• Fast evaluation of unbiased atomic forces in ab initio variational Monte Carlo via the Lagrangian technique (2026) · doi

  The computation of the G tensor and error estimation on forces scales with the sixth power in system size, which will limit the maximum system size for which error estimation on the forces can be computed.

• The future of Higgs boson physics (2026) · doi

  CEPC will continue to adopt better technologies as progress in HEP worldwide R&D and industrial development…

• Hyper-dimensional computing for enhanced label-free particle analysis in a flow-based optical detection system (2026) · doi

  The paper does not discuss scalability of the approach to handle significantly higher particle throughput or larger numbers of particle classes beyond the four tested.

• Functional a Posteriori Estimates for the Fractional Laplacian Problem (2026) · doi

  Serious computational difficulties should be expected as we approach both limiting cases s = 0 and s = 1, caused by singularity of the coefficients in equations (2.2) and (2.3).

• Scattering phase shift in quantum mechanics on quantum computers (2026) · doi

  The paper discusses mapping field Hamiltonians onto quantum registers requiring Nx × Γϕ total quantum registers, but scalability challenges and practical resource requirements for realistic field theory simulations on near-term quantum computers are not addressed.

• Unlocking high-speed and high-resolution photonic-swept microwave frequency identification via the ringing effect (2026) · doi

  The scalability of the system to handle simultaneous multiple microwave frequency inputs or broader frequency ranges beyond those tested in simulations is not addressed.

• Improving the Spectral Efficiency of Multiuser Multiple Antenna Millimeter Wave System Using Enhanced Kalman-Based Hybrid Precoder (2026) · doi

  The scalability of the enhanced Kalman algorithm to systems with more than 4 users is not explored, limiting understanding of its performance in larger multiuser scenarios.

• Precise Quantum Chemistry calculations with few Slater Determinants (2026) · doi

  The O(m5) scaling of transforming two-electron integrals explicitly into an orthogonal basis could be straightforwardly avoided by including it in the tensor contraction, suggesting an unimplemented optimization avenue.

• On Novel Extension of n-Polynomial Pre-invex Functions and Related Post-Quantum Integral Inequalities with Application (2026) · doi

  The paper does not explore potential computational complexity or algorithmic implications of applying these post-quantum integral inequalities to optimization problems.

• Interaction-region decoupling for deep-well quantum dynamics: Overcoming the interpolation bottleneck and revealing the intrinsic high-energy efficiency (2026) · doi

  The approach requires careful tuning of multiple numerical parameters (grid range, time step, absorbing potential strength) for different collision energy regimes, indicating a need for more robust or adaptive parameterization methods.

• QCCC commitment from quantum inaccessible entropy generator (2026) · doi

  The paper does not discuss computational complexity or practical efficiency considerations for implementing the commitment scheme with large values of m (number of blocks).