iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 02/10/2026

This month was dominated by workshops, but also a bit more time to do actually something by myself. But now the semester starts, so expect teaching becoming very dominant soon #ProfAtWork Talks: 23.6% Email (mostly administration): 19.0% Research by myself: 8.6%

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 02/10/2026

It starts to become hard to see what happens on top of the #GCP, as my vantage point does not grow with it, and the next level recedes somewhat to leave space for the terrace. But you can glimpse progress. Next month this is probably better to see, when they go on to the next level.

A very large construction site with multiple cranes. You see the outer shell with four levels of a really large building in the works. The lowest level is much higher than the others ones. Some stairs can be seen to be under construction, which lead up to the third level. A lot of construction stuff in front and around. It is slightly overcast.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 01/10/2026

Welcome everyone to the winter semester @uni-graz.at - looking very much forward to meeting you! Together with someone from philosophy, I will teach this semester a course on aesthetics and science, open to all students. I am very curious what I will learn. And also advanced math and BSM physics 🙂

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 15/09/2026

I indeed have become the type of professor, who does not manages to have a chat message or an email without typo, because being always too quick, always already too much occupied with the next thing 😞

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 15/09/2026

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit the current construction site of the #GCP, which reached the terrace level. With great views, this will be open to the public, and will have quite a bit of greens on it. A place to meet and discuss, and an opportunity for thinking.

A construction site with multiple levels, some cranes and a very daunting construction stairway to the terrace level.

A view into the construction site. The foundations for the benches for one lecture hall are visible, as is part of the atrium and several more levels.

A panoramic view from the terrace. Behind a construction site part of the city of Graz (west direction from the GCP), the Schloßberg and eventually some mountains as first level of the alps are visible.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 07/09/2026

Congratulations to my master student Patrick Jenny, for successfully defending his thesis on electroweak PDFs from the lattice! He did the first ever ab-initio determination from first principles of these PDFs. A paper is coming, and you can read his thesis at particle.uni-graz.at/en/structure...

particle.uni-graz.at

Structures and Observables - Axel Maas - particle.uni-graz.at

We investigate the concepts of quantum field theory, in particular gauge theories, using analytical methods and large-scale numerical simulations.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 02/09/2026

August had a workshop and filling a postdoc position (news on that soon). Thus, quite a bit of administration, talks and politics. Email (mostly administration): 21.3% Administration: 17.4% Talks: 9.3% Working directly with PhD/Master/Bachelor student: 7.8% Catching up with the arXiv: 7.1%

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 02/09/2026

This time the progress is less visible. On some sides you can already see the lecture halls taking shape, including the rows for the listeners. Also, on top of the building things happen. I will have a chance to visit the top in about two weeks, hopefully having some interesting photos then #GCP

A large construction site with a large building under construction. Three levels are already visible, the lowest more than twice as high as the upper ones, and a big ramp leading up on the left-hand side. Several cranes, and a lot of material around. It is sunny.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 02/09/2026

Good thread explaining yesterdays LZ announcement on a possible hint which may be dark matter (or not). Note: I have been born after 1970, so the universe hates me (see the thread for an explanation of this statement).

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 26/08/2026

Important thread on why we, as researchers, cannot be neutral regarding politics. Any attack on some part of science (or scientists) with the intent to replace it with something unscientific, will eventually be an attack on all fields. There are enough examples in history, even for basic physics.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 21/08/2026

Science, even very fundamental one, is never apolitical and detached from society. And in an ever more extreme world fuelled by greed, hate, and avoidance, also we will be affected ever more drastically. Thus, being an activist to stop escalation is a necessity today to be able to pursue science.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 21/08/2026

There is something big coming, connecting #Art, #Philosophy and #ParticlePhysics, a cooperation of the #KunsthausGraz and @uni-graz.at: www.museum-joanneum.at/kunsthaus-gr... There will be much more on this project of us in the next months. It is exciting to connect what I do to art and philosophy.

museum-joanneum.at

Ausstellungen

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 17/08/2026

On my way to ESI Vienna for a workshop program. Meet me and discuss with me. At the same time, you can meet my PhD student George Wieland in Helsinki at #SEWM26, showing our all new results on the #Higgs at temperatures like in the early universe. More on this soon.

Me, besides an incoming train at Graz main station. It is dusky and overcast, and I have seriously bad hair day 😆

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 13/08/2026

This long thread is worthwhile to read. You will then see the described effects everywhere, if you not already did. It is also annoying that as scientists we know exactly in our subject about the issues, but we far too often fail to recognize it in the way we do science (or interact with society).

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 11/08/2026

The July was dominated by the conference I attended in the beginning, as a consequence of the holidays I took in the second half of July 😀 Listening to talks: 20.0% Email (mostly administration): 14.0% Working directly with PhD/Master/Bachelor student: 13.3% Paper writing: 9.2%

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 11/08/2026

And another level! Now it really goes up fast #GCP

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Reposted by Axel Maas

Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

European summers aren't what they used to be! Grey curve is the climate of 1950-90. Every coloured line is a summer since 1991. Every one since 2005 sits beyond the 95th percentile of the curve. This isn't a shifting #climate. It's already a new one! 🤯🥵 Plot inspired by Barriopedro et al. 2011

Distribution of European summer temperature anomalies, June to August, over 25°W-40°E, 35-70°N, land only, the region used by Barriopedro et al., relative to 1961-1990, from ERA5. Grey bars show the 41 summers from 1950 to 1990, with a normal curve fitted through them, centred near zero. Coloured vertical lines show every summer from 1991 to 2025, shaded yellow through dark red by year, and almost all of them fall to the right of the grey distribution. The ten warmest are labelled, with 2024 furthest right at 2.74°C and 2022 next at 2.54°C. A dotted line marks the 95th percentile of the 1950-1990 distribution at 0.76°C.

Both run long, which is fine, since alt text has no practical limit and screen reader users benefit from the detail.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 12/07/2026

Whoever visits my office can witness the truth in this.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 08/07/2026

June was still dominated by interviews and a conference, but also still teaching. Thus, it is some non-standard mix #ProfAtWork Email (mostly administration): 16.1% Administration: 13.4% Teaching in a classroom: 8.9% Listening to talks: 8.6% Working directly with PhD/Master/Bachelor student: 7.2%

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 08/07/2026

Wow. Basically an entire level appeared within a month. There is real progress for the #GCP. They promised a public event on the visiting platform of the construction site in autumn. I start to believe that this is possible.

A very large construction site with multiple cranes. The barebone structure of a building is visible, reaching up to the surrounding buildings, but not complete. It is overcast.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 07/07/2026

I have an open 6-years assistant/postdoc position @uni-graz.at! The main emphasis is on computation theoretical particle physics and/or quantum gravity. Details can be found at inspirehep.net/jobs/3177365 and the deadline is August 11th. If you have questions, just drop me a DM or mail.

inspirehep.net

INSPIRE

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 04/07/2026

And onmy way back from Wrocław and #Confinement17. No changes this time. A very busy week, but good in terms of talks, contacts and discussions. And my Postdoc Sofie even won a price for her talk!

Me, besides a (fairly old) train at Wrocław main train station. There is a roof, but it's light outside.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 29/06/2026

And here we go into the break with experimnetal data until the #HLLHC is ready in a few years. But there is an incredible amount of data still to be analyzed. Can't wait to see what kind of treasures will still be unearthed in this construction period.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 28/06/2026

On my way to the #Confinement17 conference in Wrocław in Poland. Let's see how the train connection deals with the (climate-)collapse-induced heatwave. Three different trains... You can also meet my PhD student George Wieland and Postdoc Sofie Martins there! Meet us and discuss with us!

Me, at Graz main train station. A display shows a connection to Vienna. It is very sunny.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 23/06/2026

The last week with lectures of this semester starts. This is always a kind of liminal space.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 18/06/2026

Slight change of handle: Now also from @eurosky.social - however, you should not see or feel any difference when interacting or following me. Also, trying to use now @mu.social, at least on desktop.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 15/06/2026

At the #ViennaPride last Saturday (picture put through a filter to make other people much less recognizable), together with about 320000 others. Be loud to protect all the ways to be and to live.

Me, in front of a large demonstration with many rainbows elements. Filter applied to make our look like a drawing.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 15/06/2026

We have put out a new paper on a possible #DarkMatter candidate at arxiv.org/abs/2606.14546 What makes it interesting: There are indications that dark matter does interact with itself in way different than just by gravity. And that this interaction may depend on the speed of dark matter particles.

arxiv.org

Resonant scattering in two-flavored Sp(4) lattice gauge theories

We apply Lüscher's method to the vector channel of the scattering amplitude of Pseudo-Nambu-Goldstone-Bosons (PNGBs), in the $Sp(4)$ lattice gauge theory coupled to $N_f=2$ flavors of Wilson-Dirac fun...

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 03/06/2026

@uni-graz.at made a good statement in times where trans lives (and those of many other minority groups) have become under increasing attack.

Me, in front of the University Graz Pride Progress Flag in front of is main building. It is overcast.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 02/06/2026

This month I was very heavily invested with the filling of our PhD positions in the doc.fund, which I lump under administration. But i think we have found some very excellent new people, and some of them will start very soon #ProfAtWork Administration: 23.6% Teaching in a classroom: 15.8%

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 02/06/2026

Does not look like that much progress from this viewpoint, but a lot of the gantry has already been replaced with walls towards the back. I really believe that in summer we will have a party on the visitor's balcony on level 3 #GCP

A very large construction site with multiple cranes, a lot of gantry, and building structures reaching above street level, and several metallic structures even above most of the surrounding houses. It is sunny.

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Reposted by Axel Maas

Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 18/05/2026

Not just lobbying! our new paper maps 27 mechanisms of regulatory capture used by Big AI + 11 narrative framings that rationalise capture. “Big AI’s Regulatory Capture: Mapping Industry Interference and Government Complicity” will be presented at #FAccT2026 next month arxiv.org/abs/2605.068... 1/

Title: Big AI’s Regulatory Capture: Mapping Industry Interference and Government Complicity

abstract: Over the past decade, the AI industry has come to exert an unprecedented economic, political and societal power and influence. The well-functioning of regulatory and oversight structures and processes that govern the industry thus have paramount ramifications for everything from fostering public trust in systems marketed as AI, the credibility of scientific knowledge, educational and healthcare services and products, information ecosystems, the environment, rule of law and integrity of democratic process. In this paper, we first develop a taxonomy of mechanisms enabling capture to provide a comprehensive understanding of the problem. Grounded in design science research (DSR) methodologies and extensive scoping review of existing literature and media reports, our taxonomy of capture consists of 27 mechanisms across five categories. We then develop an annotation template incorporating our taxonomy, and manually annotate and analyse 100 news articles. The purpose behind this analysis is twofold: validate our taxonomy and provide a novel quantification of capture mechanisms and dominant narratives. Our analysis identifies 249 instances of capture mechanisms, often co-occurring with narratives that rationalise such capture. We find that the most recurring categories of mechanisms are Discourse & Epistemic Influence, concerning narrative framing, and Elusion of law, related to violations and contentious interpretations of antitrust, privacy, copyright and labour laws. We further find that Regulation stifles innovation, Red tape and National Interest are the most frequently invoked narratives used to rationalise capture. We emphasize the extent and breadth of regulatory capture by coalescing forces — Big AI and governments — as something policy makers and the public ought to treat as an emergency.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 15/05/2026

Welcome Hannes Langhold, who will do a bachelor thesis with us on the foundations of quantum mechanics. He will be working on an example implementation of the Event-Time-History approach, which resolves the measurement problem by making randomness part of nature, and predictability emergent.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 11/05/2026

April had some Easter break from teaching, and we had a second set of graduate days. Also, the applications for our PhD positions need to be checked and selected (more than 250!), so quite a bit of admin #ProfAtWork Administration: 17.3% Email (mostly administration): 15.5%

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 11/05/2026

Ok, a lot has happen during the last month. Basically a complete level has appeared, actually the highest one with the large lecture rooms. This is really amazingly quick #GCP The platform in front is the roof of the bicycle garage.

A large construction site with multiple cranes. A level is already visible above ground. It is very busy, a lot of stuff standing around. A platform is visible in front, as is a construction fence. It is lightly overcast during the morning.

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Reposted by Axel Maas

Christian Tieber ⧖ @tieber.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

📆 Graz: Morgen (Mittwoch, 6. Mai 2026) findet wieder ein offenes Treffen des Kollaps-Café Graz statt. Diesmal ab 18:00 Uhr im Stadtteiltreff St. Leonhard, Naglergasse 38, 8010 Graz JEDE / JEDER KANN VORBEIKOMMEN. (Keine Anmeldung nötig.) bsky.app/profile/tieb...

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Reposted by Axel Maas

Tadzio Mueller @tadziomueller.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Good piece on #collapseacceptance: "Terminally ill patients experience spiritual pain when their foundational beliefs are dismantled. You are experiencing that pain when you let go of the myth of sustainable development. You are mourning a civilization". Why it's so hard to deal w/ normality...

collapse2050.substack.com

The Planet is Dying but You've Got Work on Monday

A Letter to the Newly Awake

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 17/04/2026

Congratulations to Paula Zweynert, who has just completed her bachelor thesis with us on electroweak multiparticle production at LHC! You can download her thesis from our webpage at particle.uni-graz.at/en/structure...

particle.uni-graz.at

Structures and Observables - Axel Maas - particle.uni-graz.at

We investigate the concepts of quantum field theory, in particular gauge theories, using analytical methods and large-scale numerical simulations.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 15/04/2026

And one more PhD position in my group @uni-graz.at on quantum gravity, this time using numerical simulations, known as #CDT, to get to the graviton: inspirehep.net/jobs/3144581

inspirehep.net

INSPIRE

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 14/04/2026

I think the one, overwhelming message places like Austria, France or Germany should take from the recent elections in Hungary, Poland and Brazil is: They tried willingly rightwing, natonalistic, authoritarian regimes, and decided they wanted to get rid of it, because they did not deliver.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 10/04/2026

Thread, which really makes the central point about why we need to change, fundamentally and quickly: "Energy security and costs are important. Being alive is more important than both of these. If you've forgotten that, fix your fucking heart."

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 02/04/2026

March the semester started again, but since I did most of the teaching of this year in the previous semester, there is a bit more time for other stuff #ProfAtWork. Also, with more catastrophes impending, more time is needed to prepare. Email (mostly administration): 17.6%

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 02/04/2026

Ok, so there is substantial progress for the #GCP. The metal construction will carry the upper levels such that our big lecture halls will not have need for any columns, which would obstruct view.

A very big construction site with multiple cranes. There are walls visible rising above stree-level. Towards the far end, a metal skeleton is visible on the left, which is higher than the surrounding houses. It is overcast.

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 19/03/2026

This was necessary (we actually had this as an item of concern during the deliberation on the European Strategy Update for Particle Physics). Preservation of knowledge by independent entities becomes more and more crucial. Thanks @arxiv.bsky.social www.science.org/content/arti...

science.org

ArXiv, the pioneering preprint server, declares independence from Cornell

As an independent nonprofit, it hopes to raise funds to cope with exploding submissions and “AI slop”

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