iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 16/10/2026

Markets wobbled, so a chart. Most US incomes follow the same law as energy in a gas. The top few percent don't. Their excess spiked in 2000, 2007 and 2021 (33¢ of every dollar), then fell each time. A thermometer, not a forecaster. open.substack.com/pub/drkev/p/... #stockmarket #physics #economics

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 30/09/2026

Not a discovery yet; it's ~2.5σ-equivalent. But doubling the sample should push past 100:1 (>3σ), and Euclid, Rubin & Roman will find hundreds of new quads. Stay tuned.

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 30/09/2026

Dark matter may not be as simple as we thought. Our new JWST paper, led by Daniel Gilman, uses 29 quasars, each split into four images by a galaxy's gravity, to hunt for invisible dark matter clumps. They look too dense for standard cold dark matter. 🧵 arxiv.org/abs/2609.35974 ⚛️ 🔭 🧪

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 29/09/2026

1/ Can the shape of the Galactic Center gamma-ray excess tell dark matter from old stars? Yes. A recent PRL found them alike in sims, but squared the projected mass instead of integrating ρ². Corrected, annihilation is more centrally concentrated. arxiv.org/abs/2609.34155 ⚛️ 🔭 🧪 #highenergyastro

Grid of 30 simulated gamma-ray sky maps of the Milky Way's central region, 6 rows by 5 columns, each spanning about ±15° in longitude and latitude. Each row is a different simulated Milky Way–like galaxy. Colors run from blue (faint) to red (bright), with three contour lines per map.

Columns 1–3 follow the method of the earlier paper: dark matter mass projection, old-star mass projection, and the squared dark matter mass ("quadratic DM"). Columns 4–5 show the corrected calculations: old-star emission and dark matter annihilation.

Columns 1 and 3 have identically shaped contours in every row. In columns 2 and 4, the old-star emission forms wide, flattened ovals, strongly elongated in the barred galaxy of the third row. In column 5, the correctly computed dark matter annihilation is a compact, rounder bright spot that is much more concentrated toward the center than the stellar emission in every galaxy.

Small tables in each panel list contour levels and axis ratios.

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 02/08/2026

Congresswoman Maxine Waters moved the room to support Proposition 40 in the reconsideration motion! — California Democratic Party supports Proposition 40! #YesOn40 #cadem

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 04/07/2026

Before Citizens United, billionaires were under 1% of federal campaign money. By 2024: 16.5%. Representation moved right; voters didn't. This Fourth of July, my case that overturning it is the single biggest fix for American democracy: open.substack.com/pub/drkev/p/... #IndependenceDay #July4th

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 22/06/2026

It’s been years of work and what feels like years of work in just the past couple of months to put on the largest and most important international conference in neutrino physics, with 600+ attendees. #neutrino2026 ⚛️ 🧪 🔭

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 03/06/2026

Wildly enough, Bonta as a barometer of how red the early results are between now and the 2022 primary shows it’s only 0.24% overly red now in OC, and only 1% red statewide. Maybe other things are different this year.

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 02/06/2026

Full house to hear this year’s Reines Lecture by Nobel Laureate Adam Riess, who discovered the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe. The Reines Lecture series is hosted by UCI Physics & Astronomy and the UCI School of Physical Sciences #UCIrvine 🧪 ⚛️ 🔭 @ucirvine.bsky.social

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 08/05/2026

Fabio Pacucci (CfA) presents his group’s detailed model of the little red dots discovered by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope at the week’s UC Irvine Department of Physics & Astronomy Colloquium #astronomy 🔭

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 05/05/2026

May the 4th post: a public introduction to Hilbert space, quantum field theory, and the idea that 3D space itself may emerge from quantum entanglement. The Force as it actually is: written for everyone who never got to take Physics 113A. Link: open.substack.com/pub/drkev/p/... #physics 🔭⚛️

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 18/04/2026

This is what I mean that though Congress’ budget appropriations are very important, we are still seeing the destruction of American science by the executive by illegal actions. Report ➡️ democrats-science.house.gov/staff-report... 🧪 ⚛️ 🔭

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 16/04/2026

Federal administration proposes to halt of these astrophysics and particle astrophysics space missions: COSI Fermi Chandra LISA contribution ULTRASAT contribution Athena contribution NICER Euclid contribution XRISM contribution UVEX 🔭🧪⚛️ #astrophysics

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 08/04/2026

In Higher Ed? Here's a Visual AI Solution for PDF Compliance #academicsky #highereducation #ada 🔭 ⚛️ 🧪 open.substack.com/pub/drkev/p/...

Title of Substack post on a Visual AI Solution for ADA Compliance: LaTeX, Markdown, and Keynote all produce inaccessible PDFs by default. This is how to fix that.

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 27/02/2026

In case you missed it, the California #Democratic Party 2026 Platform is considered by many as historic in achieving planks that support the priorities of both California Palestinian-American and Jewish #Democrats. Congratulations to OC’s own Mirvette Judeh (pictured), Chair of the Arab-American…

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 25/02/2026

Did someone say it’s Whiskers Wednesday?

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 21/02/2026

I am proud to cast my vote, as a delegate to the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party, for Katie Porter for Governor. This photo I’m sharing was taken during her very first campaign, 8 years ago. #cadem #cdp #cademdelegates #cadem2026 #cademconvention

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 19/02/2026

NSF cumulative number of awards 2021-2026, from @wildweatherdan.bsky.social on fb 🧪 🔭 ⚛️

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 25/01/2026

Nonzero neutrino mass from new galaxy clustering and lensing in BOSS: arxiv.org/abs/2601.12976 🧪 🔭 ⚛️ #cosmology

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 21/11/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Helena García Escudero in successfully defending her PhD dissertation today at UCI Department of Physics & Astronomy, titled “ΛCDM and Beyond: Neutrinos and the Puzzle of Cosmological Tensions.” #ucirvine #academia #physics #cosmology

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 18/11/2025

The asymmetry is caused by the steeply falling mass function: there are many more smaller galaxies to upscatter into your sample (upper orange curves) than there are larger galaxies to downscatter into it (lower orange curves).

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 18/11/2025

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has discovered massive galaxies at 37 Glyr away, when the Universe was ~1% of its age. Galaxy formation appears at odds with the efficiencies of making such galaxies at beyond 100% (solid purple line) there are outs ➡️ arxiv.org/abs/2511.13708 🔭 ⚛️ #academicsky

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 17/11/2025

First paper submission today for #UCIrvine graduate fellow Jay Krishnan! There is much interest in NASA's James Webb Space Telescope potentially showing early galaxy formation as incompatible with standard cosmology and structure formation #astronomy #astrophysics #cosmology 🔭 ⚛️ #academicsky

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 20/10/2025

🔥 Climate change is making wildfire risks in Irvine very real. Join us Oct 30, 6–7:30 p.m. at City Hall for Wildfire Ready Irvine—learn how to harden your home & protect our community. RSVP: shorturl.at/Am72D — Chair, Irvine Sustainability Commission #Irvine #WildfireReady #ClimateAction

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 01/10/2025

The Hubble tension may connect to short-baseline neutrino anomalies. Work led by #UCIrvine grad fellow Helena García Escudero shows baryon acoustic oscillations allow extra massive neutrinos—relaxing constraints and linking both puzzles. #cosmology #neutrinos ⚛️ 🔭 arxiv.org/abs/2509.25478

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 29/09/2025

Fun to work out with #UCIrvine graduate fellow Helena García Escudero the details of why extra, sterile neutrinos are preferred (!!) by cosmology when adopting the local Cepheid measurement of the Hubble expansion rate. ⚛️ 🔭 #cosmology #neutrinos #particlephysics #hubbletension

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 09/09/2025

Our new paper with Cannon Vogel & Helena García Escudero shows vector-mediated NSI can’t produce sterile neutrino dark matter—ruled out by lab + structure data. But scalar NSI and low reheating models are still in the game! ➡️ arxiv.org/abs/2509.05631 #darkmatter #cosmology #particlephysics ⚛️ 🔭

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 28/08/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Cannon Vogel, who successfully defended his PhD dissertation today at #UCIrvine. He has become one of the top handful of people expert in warm dark matter production in the early Universe, and the linear cosmological structure arising from it. 🧪 ⚛️ 🔭

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 16/08/2025

How Newsom's California redistricting affects OC & Irvine: CD 40 (Kim): +10.8 R ➡️ +19.6 R CD 45 (Tran): +2 R ➡️ +2.4 D CD 46 (Correa): +19.2 D ➡️ +15 D CD 47 (Min): +0.6 R ➡️ +5.2 D CD 49 (Levin): +0.8 D ➡️ +4.2 D Robert Garcia's district (42) moves to OC: CD 42 (Garcia): +33.4 D ➡️ +6.8 D

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 28/07/2025

In a paper posted today, led by #UCIrvine PhD student Cannon Vogel, we showed that the newly-allowed large cosmological lepton numbers at early times open up a new regime of sterile neutrino dark matter production. Full paper ➡️ arxiv.org/abs/2507.18752 #particlephysics #cosmology #astrophysics 🔭 ⚛️

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 11/07/2025

Statement from DOE & NSF

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 05/07/2025

Proud to share that the University of California systemwide Academic Senate has officially passed a resolution opposing Trellix surveillance software that is being mandated on faculty computers. 👉 senate.universityofcalifornia.edu/_files/repor... #AcademicFreedom #UniversityOfCalifornia #UCIrvine

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 02/07/2025

UC Irvine and SoCalGas propose blending hydrogen into natural gas lines—but hydrogen will never replace natural gas as a heating fuel. Why? It’s over 3x less efficient than electric heat pumps and poses serious safety risks. 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drkev/p/... #ClimateAction #UCIrvine #CleanEnergy

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 01/07/2025

My comments to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in-person public forum today on the proposed hydrogen & natural gas blending project at #UCIrvine #stopfossilfuels #climatechange #climatecrisis

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 12/06/2025

You have my support, Senator Padilla @padilla.senate.gov

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 07/06/2025

“We are at a time where we are at the height & at the most vulnerable for science. We have to be our own best protagonists. Make sure we are engaged.” — Sudip Parikh, CEO & Executive Publisher, Science Journals, at today’s induction ceremony for @aaas.org Fellows ⚛️ 🧪 www.aaas.org/resources/sp...

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 07/06/2025

Dave Min went from fellow parent of a preschooler—and fellow Professor at #UCIrvine —to a Member of Congress. He’s doing an outstanding job—defending our democracy, standing up for #Armenians in their ancestral homeland, and supporting America’s leadership in science. ⚛️ 🧪

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 04/06/2025

Nobel Prize Laureate Kip Thorne speaking yesterday at the Albert Einstein Institute in Postdam, Germany: "Donald Trump is destroying America's capacity for [leading science]. We are counting on Europe to take over here and elsewhere." ⚛️ 🧪

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 30/05/2025

Rep. Dave Min gives a sobering assessment of the federal government’s support for science and education, tonight at a town hall at #UCIrvine ⚛️ 🧪 UCI leadership reported that over $40m in grants have been cancelled & a massive slowdown in new awards at 40% of that previously @daveminca.bsky.social

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 13/05/2025

A view of the Astronomy Tower of the Sorbonne (Tour d’Astronomie de la Sorbonne) with Notre Dame in the background. The observatory was built between 1885 and 1901, atop the Sorbonne & remains in use today for public observations and educational purposes. #astronomy

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 12/05/2025

Great spot for an international program on dark matter and neutrinos (I got there early. The hall was filled later! 😅) indico.math.cnrs.fr/event/12305/... #physics #neutrinos #darkmatter #particlephysics #cosmology

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 30/04/2025

Today, I got to give one if my favorite lectures in quantum mechanics in my advanced undergraduate physics majors’ course. This is where physics touches metaphysics — fun stuff! #physics #quantumphysics #quantumfieldtheory

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 29/04/2025

We must all refuse and resist rising authoritarianism #Harvard #Trump

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 29/04/2025

@ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social bends a knee to what is determined by the facts to be a genocidal state, #Azerbaijan

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 29/04/2025

A powerful letter against UC Berkeley's unconscionable cancellation of the film My Sweet Land —which documents the #ArtsakhGenocide from the perspective of a boy—was sent by Assemblymembers Harabedian, Caloza, Schultz & Tangipa, as well as State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez. #ArmenianGenocide

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Kev Abazajian @abazajian.net · 25/04/2025

I’m humbled to also receive Certificates of Recognition from: • Los Angeles County • Office of the LA City Attorney • California State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez • U.S. Senator Adam Schiff • Congressmembers Laura Friedman and Luz Rivas • City of Burbank

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