Theory gaps in Physics

Representative open questions

Showing 30 of 151 — one per source paper, highest-quality first.

• Corpus | Unified Metaphysical Architecture of the Informational Omniverse (2026) · doi

  The claim that 'Physical Distances, Time, the Past and the Future are Virtual' within a 'Flat, Geometric-Algorithmic, Intelligent and Non-Sequential Cosmic Space' requires concrete falsifiable predictions that differentiate this model from established relativistic spacetime measurements and cosmological observations of light-year distances to celestial bodies.

• Works for 4/24/2026 - Nicolas of Cusa (2026) · doi

  The paper acknowledges that tau advantage weakens when path structure is genuinely modified (System C) but does not establish a quantitative measure of path similarity or structural distance that predicts when tau will outperform clock time. Such a predictive metric is absent from the framework.

• Stabilizing effect of magnetic field on the compressible magnetohydrodynamic flow with vanishing shear viscosity (2026) · doi

  The proof of Lemma 3.5 on density dissipation relies on the damped transport equation for density a with damping coefficient 1/ν, but the paper does not analyze the asymptotic behavior of density when viscosity approaches zero or investigate the interplay between magnetic field stabilization and density dissipation rates in the vanishing viscosity limit.

• Companion II: Lane A Sharp-Local Construction (2026) · doi

  Theorem C.15 establishes lattice Gaussian upper bounds for the fundamental solution Ka(t,s;x,y) under bounded-regime assumptions, but the extension to parameter regimes where the coefficients bj or V exhibit critical growth (e.g., V(r,·) ~ r^α for α ≥ -1/2) or where the time interval [s,t] approaches the singularity s→0 is not covered.

• [k-Foam Theory v21: An Approach to a Geometric "Theory of Everything" ] (2026) · doi

  The paper claims Axiom 5 (dissipation equivalence) governs continuous heat and gravity exchange between massive k=3 aggregates and the k=6 vacuum grid, but provides no mathematical formulation relating dissipation rate to observable gravitational or thermal coupling constants.

• Optical model for deuteron-induced elastic scattering on light nuclei from 3He to 16O (2026) · doi

  The phenomenological optical-model analysis demonstrates that nucleus-specific and energy-variable fit potentials outperform global parameterizations, but the physical basis for the systematic variation in imaginary potential components across the isotopic chain from 3He to 16O has not been fully elucidated. Future dedicated studies should correlate these potential variations with specific nuclear structure features and reaction mechanisms for each target nucleus.

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

  The application to thermodynamic limits of spin systems on random graphs is mentioned through recent references but not developed quantitatively. Specific prediction of purification timescales and fidelities as network size N→∞ on random graph ensembles, particularly in relation to eigenstate thermalization and dark state emergence, requires detailed analysis.

• Exactly Solvable Schrödinger Operators Related to the Hypergeometric Equation (2026) · doi

  The paper treats spherical, hyperbolic, and deSitterian hypergeometric Hamiltonians as distinct cases but does not systematically investigate whether intermediate or deformed geometries yield new families of exactly solvable operators or whether the classification is exhaustive.

• New tools drive scientific discovery: evidence from all nobel-prize and major non-nobel breakthroughs (2026) · doi

  The acceleration in the pace of new scientific tool development observed 'especially around the turn of the 20th century' (Fig. 13) is noted but not mechanistically explained; the paper lacks analysis of whether this acceleration was driven by institutional factors (funding structures, lab organization), technology feedback loops (tools enabling tools), or disciplinary demand shifts across the four major fields studied.

• Measurement-induced phase transition in interacting bosons from most likely quantum trajectory (2026) · doi

  The path-integral formulation with Keldysh theory fields x₁(t) and x₂(t) was outlined for Gaussian fluctuations analysis (Section A.1), but the complete derivation and physical interpretation of these fluctuations around the saddle point for the monitored bosonic system remain incomplete in the provided text.

• Niels Bohr’s Psychological Analogies and Quantum Measurement (2026) · doi

  Bohr's claim that there is no measurement problem in quantum physics, as stated in his unsent 1955 letter to Weizsäcker, lacks formal mathematical elaboration or empirical validation against competing interpretations of quantum mechanics that explicitly address the measurement problem, such as the von Neumann-Wigner interpretation or decoherence-based approaches.

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

  The paper establishes that the excitation-detector principle (nondegeneracy of ˜b : S × S̃ → ℚ/ℤ) is necessary for physical realizability of planon-only Abelian fracton orders, but does not investigate whether this condition is also sufficient for constructing explicit microscopic lattice Hamiltonian realizations of such theories.

• An introduction to the physics of time travel and the mini-standard model of particle physics (2024) · doi

  The distinction between the time period of existence of an electromagnetic wave oscillation versus the time period of existence of an electromagnetic field propagation is stated conceptually (nanoseconds vs. thousands of years), but lacks mathematical formalization and quantitative methods to calculate the lifetime of trapped surfaces in spacetime for different field configurations.

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

  The topological quantum number Q fails to reliably distinguish phases in the quasiperiodic disorder regime, producing spurious topological patches (Q=1) deep within the trivial phase (δ > 3.0). The physical mechanism causing this breakdown in sign fluctuations of ln|X| specifically under quasiperiodic modulation versus binary disorder requires mechanistic clarification.

• The nonlinear interaction of a pair of counter-rotating vortices (2026) · doi

  The mechanism by which secondary vortex peaks wrap around and suppress cavitation inception in the primary vortex (observed only in Case N.2) has not been mechanistically characterized. Quantitative investigation of the pressure field evolution during peak-wrap-around events and the threshold separation distances at which this suppression occurs is needed across varying primary/secondary circulation ratios.

• An improved upper bound on the covering radius of the logarithmic lattice of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si1.svg"> <mml:mi mathvariant="double-struck">Q</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">(</mml:mo> <mml:msub> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>ζ</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>n</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> </mml:msub> <mml:mo stretchy="false">)</mml:mo> </mml:math> (2026) · doi

  The bound in Lemma 11 for φ(n) using the AM-GM inequality is noted as sharp only when n is squarefree; the paper does not investigate tighter bounds for non-squarefree integers or explore whether the inequality could be improved for specific classes of n with particular prime factorization structures.

• A novel interpretation of min-max theorem and principle in relativistic quantum chemistry (2021) · doi

  The paper identifies that negative-energy eigenfunctions cannot be obtained from normalizable components via the optimal lower component lcon = Ωoptu, but the mathematical characterization of which trial spinor decompositions violate this condition and systematic rules for constructing valid trial spinors remain incomplete.

• Discussions on Session 2A:Quantum effects in chemistry (2011) · doi

  The applicability of detailed balance formalism when thermal equilibrium is absent requires clarification. Marcus notes that Ben-Reuben's work identified situations where thermal equilibrium is not established, making the definition and utility of detailed balance kinetic rate constants ambiguous; protocols for determining when sufficient information about detailed balance exists in non-equilibrium quantum systems need development.

• Orthorhombic SrVSi2O7 as a potential magnetic second-order topological insulator with spin-polarized hinge states (2026) · doi

  The stability of spin-polarized hinge states under external perturbations (disorder, strain, thermal fluctuations) in SrVSi2O7 has not been investigated; robustness calculations and experimental studies are needed to assess the practical viability of hinge-state-based devices.

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

  The treatment of improper mixtures via partial tracing (ρA = TrB(ρAB)) assumes physical indistinguishability from proper mixtures, but the conditions under which this equivalence holds for the measuring Hamiltonian reverse-engineering procedure in multi-partite systems require explicit characterization.

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

  The standing wave ratio (SWR = 17.72) calculated for the output coupler region assumes Bessel function approximation, but the spatial beam profile distortions and mode-conversion efficiency when high-dimensional orbital angular momentum (OAM) and spin angular momentum (SAM) states are coupled into the plasmonic waveguide have not been experimentally characterized or theoretically modeled.

• Two- and three-beam photothermal vs. conventional stimulated Raman scattering (2026) · doi

  The beam clipping effect was exploited to enhance resonant SRS signal, but this was previously considered only as a source of unwanted nonresonant contributions. Systematic investigation of how beam clipping parameters (geometry, fraction) affect the PT-SRS signal enhancement and how this scales with sample properties is needed for broader applicability.

• Quantum ground-state cooling of two librational modes of a nanorotor (2026) · doi

  Equation (4) assumes the particle remains stably trapped at R ≃ 0 with the librational trapping near (α, β) ≃ (ϕ, π/2), but the paper does not experimentally characterize the stability boundaries or provide data on how thermal fluctuations and off-axis trapping perturbations affect this equilibrium assumption during sustained cooling cycles.

• Quantum Chemistry in Functional Inorganic Materials (2012) · doi

  The MO analysis at the middle point (d = 1.347 Å) demonstrates orbital overlap differences between La–Ocond and Sr–Ocond bonds explaining activation energy variations, but systematic investigation of how structural distortion and lattice relaxation during ion migration affect the computed MO overlap and covalent bond strength is not addressed.

• "G-D's Physics" New Paradigm's "Triumph": The New UNCIARE-JRH's MAI's UCF Explains Both Cosmic Acceleration & Four Physical Features' Values Increase! (2026) · doi

  The claim that 'G-D's Physics' UNCIARE-JRH's MAI increases the values of space, energy, mass, and time annually contradicts the observed constancy of fundamental physical constants (fine-structure constant, Planck constant, gravitational constant) across multiple decades of precision measurements, yet the paper does not address how previously measured constant values reconcile with predicted annual increases in these four physical features.

• Quantum chemistry calculations of branched fluorocarbon systems (2012) · doi

  The 19F NMR spectral signatures for distinguishing side trifluoromethyl branches rely on band width analysis (Fig. 2) as a differentiating feature from cross-linking chain isomers, but the theoretical basis for predicting band width changes as a function of structural complexity and the experimental resolution required to resolve these width differences has not been addressed.

• Quantum and reality (2026) · doi

  The paper restricts LHoTT to the heart of the t-structure (equation 19) to embed traditional quantum information theory, but explicitly defers the development of higher coherences needed to formalize (∞, 1)-Hilbert spaces of finite type. The concrete algebraic and computational framework for representing unbounded R-chain complexes with self-duality under tensor product operations in LHoTT remains unspecified.

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

  The study shows that electronic density redistribution along the fluoropolymer chain causes spectral changes in IR absorption and NMR, but systematic investigation of how this redistribution quantitatively correlates with chain conformation changes (dihedral angles, carbon chain distortion) across multiple fluorination sites remains incomplete.

• Fractional paradigms in quantum chemistry (2021) · doi

  The mathematical ambiguity in Equation (18) for fractional electron correlation energy stems from the unspecified type of fractional operator used for generalizing the Hartree-Fock model. A systematic classification and comparison of different fractional operator definitions (Riemann-Liouville, Caputo, Riesz) applied to correlation energy calculations is needed.

• The Unified Mechanism of Cosmic and Material Structure Based on the Ideal Model of Cosmic Continuum (2026) · doi

  The relationship between the existence continuum composed of electromagnetic forces and gravity lacks specification of how these two fundamental interactions are unified within a single continuum framework with testable predictions that differ from existing grand unified theories.