Science

Joint ACT–Planck analysis strengthens hint of cosmic birefringence but systematics remain

Joint ACT–Planck analysis finds a 0.277° cosmic-birefringence hint at 4.8σ, but calibration and dust systematics mean a firm detection remains out of reach.

#cosmicbirefringence, #cosmology, #cmb, #planck, #act

H.E.S.S. detects no gamma-ray line from Galactic Centre, but reaches thermal Higgsino benchmark

H.E.S.S.'s deepest search found no gamma-ray line from the Galactic Centre but sets the strongest limits yet, probing thermal Higgsino models.

#darkmatter, #astronomy, #gamma-rays, #astrophysics

Preprint: GPU-Optimized SparkleDock Cuts Flexible Docking Benchmarks from Hours to Seconds

An arXiv preprint says SparkleDock, a GPU-first redesign of flexible docking, cuts benchmark runtimes from hours to seconds on GPU clusters.

#gpus, #drugdiscovery, #docking, #hpc

IXPE observations strengthen evidence for vacuum birefringence around magnetar 1E 1547.0−5408

IXPE X-ray polarimetry, NICER and Parkes radio data show strong, phase-dependent polarization from magnetar 1E 1547.0−5408, supporting vacuum birefringence.

#ixpe, #magnetar, #vacuumbirefringence, #quantumelectrodynamics

Spent SpaceX Falcon 9 Upper Stage Predicted to Strike Moon; Plume Might Be Visible

A spent SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage is predicted to strike the Moon Aug. 5; models suggest a sunlight-lit debris plume might be briefly visible from Earth.

#space, #moon, #spacex, #astronomy

PUNCH Mission Demonstrates 30-Minute Precision in Retrospective Forecast of 2025 Solar Storm

NASA’s PUNCH mission retrospectively predicted a May 31, 2025 coronal mass ejection would reach near‑Earth space within about 30 minutes.

#spaceweather, #nasa, #punch, #solarstorm

PTB reports interspecies optical‑clock comparison below 5×10⁻¹⁸ using transportable clock

PTB reports a transportable strontium lattice clock matched a stationary ytterbium‑ion clock to 4.3×10⁻¹⁸ uncertainty; result is a preprint.

#physics, #opticalclocks, #metrology, #ptb

XENONnT's Ionization-Only Search Tightens Limits on Few‑GeV Dark Matter

XENONnT's 7.8 tonne‑year ionization‑only search finds no dark‑matter signal, setting stronger limits on few‑GeV candidates and edging toward the solar‑neutrino floor.

#darkmatter, #xenonnt, #particlephysics, #neutrinos

Reanalysis Challenges DESI’s Claimed Signal for Dynamical Dark Energy

A new arXiv reanalysis finds DESI’s apparent hint of evolving dark energy is concentrated in one redshift bin and vanishes under alternate statistical checks.

#darkenergy, #desi, #cosmology, #arxiv

DESI preprint reports 1% measurement of the universe’s expansion at redshift 2.33

DESI's new preprint reports a 1% measurement of cosmic expansion geometry at z=2.33 from the Lyman‑alpha forest, tightening high‑redshift anchors for H0 and Ωm.

#cosmology, #desi, #lymanalpha, #darkenergy

Slovenian preprint claims light-programmable superconductivity in aluminium–silicon devices

A Slovenian arXiv preprint reports persistent, erasable superconductivity in aluminium–silicon devices controlled by ultrafast laser pulses; claims remain unverified.

#superconductivity, #lasers, #materials, #physics, #slovenia

New calculation narrows muon g-2 anomaly and refocuses debate on hadronic inputs

A 2026 Nature calculation brings the Standard Model into agreement with muon g‑2 measurements, shifting the controversy to hadronic vacuum polarization inputs.

#muon, #g2, #particlephysics, #standardmodel, #hvp

IceCube arXiv preprint reports 5.7σ detection of high-energy neutrinos from Milky Way

An IceCube arXiv preprint reports a 5.7σ detection of high-energy neutrinos from the Milky Way's Galactic plane, centered on the inner Galaxy.

#neutrinos, #astrophysics, #icecube, #milkyway

June 2026 Sargassum Belt Near-Record as Caribbean and Gulf See Record June Accumulations

Satellites show the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt swelled to near-record levels in June 2026, with the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico posting record amounts.

#sargassum, #ocean, #environment, #caribbean

Updated Pantheon+ and DES Supernova Data Leave Local Hubble Constant Near 73, Study Finds

An arXiv preprint finds corrected Pantheon+ and DES-DOVEKIE supernova data keep the local Hubble constant near 73 km/s/Mpc, leaving the Hubble tension intact.

#hubble-tension, #cosmology, #supernovae, #astronomy