iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 15/10/2026

You can read more (technical) stuff about our research (and previous work on this by many others) in e.g. inspirehep.net/literature/2..., but this is yet for experts. Hopefully, we will have something easier soon.

inspirehep.net

INSPIRE

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 15/10/2026

Because we do #QuantumGravity, we create many such universes, and then average, to get the expected shape of the universe. This one is much smoother, and looks similar to our real universe (though our model universe is finite and again collapses, for technical reasons).

inspirehep.net

INSPIRE

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 15/10/2026

Felix Pressler, a PhD student of mine, has created a nice animation of one of our quantum universes. This has a "cosmological time", i.e. you have a way to count time. The movie runs in this cosmological time, and shows the spatial shape, approximated by discrete building blocks (called simplices).

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Axel Maas @axelmaas.eurosky.social · 07/10/2026

This is an amazing project, and really breaks new ground. In fact, he will soon be one out of six persons in my group doing CDT, so we go big with this whole subject area. Stay tuned! More on my group 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 · 07/10/2026

Welcome back, Felix Pressler! He did already the master with us on quantum gravity using CDT, and now he is back for more, even with a self-funded position by the @oeaw.bsky.social. His project will revolve around interactions of self-bound gravitons, aiming to get the running Newton coupling.

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

Working directly with PhD/Master/Bachelor student: 7.5% Activism: 5.8% Administration: 5.7% Paper writing: 5.1% Catching up with the arXiv: 4.9% Science politics: 4.3% Writing my textbook: 3.0% Refereeing: 1.1% Proposal writing: 0.9% Writing talks: 0.8% Reading papers: 0.8% Examinations: 0.5%

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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 am sure you can make them so with a suitable prompt.

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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

Science politics: 6.0% Writing papers: 5.8% Research by myself: 4.2% Activism: 4.0% Refereeing: 2.9% Outreach: 2.8% Proposal writing: 2.8% Exams: 2.5% Teaching preparation: 2.4% Writing talks: 1.6% Writing my textbook: 1.3% Reading papers: 0.8%

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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 · 12/08/2026

Her work will be based on the observation that quantum gravity can be considered to exhibit a Brout-Englert Higgs effect, as supported by numerical calculation, see e.g. our work inspirehep.net/literature/3... - this continues the work of two previous master students inspirehep.net/literature/2...

inspirehep.net

INSPIRE

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

Teaching preparation: 6.7% Outreach: 5.9% Writing my textbook: 5.0% Administration: 4.7% Research by myself: 4.1% Science politics: 4.0% Activism: 3.4% Catching up with the arXiv: 3.1% Proposal writing: 2.8% Exams: 2.6% Paper reading: 0.9% Writing talks: 0.2% Refereeing: 0.1%

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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

Activism: 7.2% Writing my textbook: 7.0% Writing talks: 5.8% Outreach: 4.5% Exams: 4.4% Catching up with the arXiv: 4.4% Paper writing: 2.7% Research by myself: 2.6% Proposal writing: 2.2% Teaching preparation: 2.1% Science politics: 1.8% Paper reading: 1.1%

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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

Since we recently one a large graduate school grant, @uni-graz.at is right now growing strongly, with a lot of activity in both fields. The position is also strongly integrated into this graduate school, so a lot of opportunities in many different areas, with a lot of pioneering projects.

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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

And arrived, just ten minutes later then planned. Definitely worked out. Hope to see some of you tomorrow at the conference.

Me, in front of Wrocław main train station. I look a bit tired. It is dusk.

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

So, last leg of the journey still no air conditioning, but only 90 more minutes.

Me, besides an incoming train at Raciborz train station. Still sunny.

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

Meanwhile, in my adopted home of #Graz, the very left, progressive and ecological coalition wins a convincing victory in the local elections for another five years (I voted directly before leaving). Hopefully an opportunity to eventually #TalkCollapse with them.

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

Arrived, basically on time, in Poland for a two-hour stop-over. Almost cool outside compared to a train without sie conditioning.

Me, at the main train station in Raciborz. It is sunny.

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

No working air conditioning, except when the train moves very slowly. So, this will be fun for the next 4 hours. At least, the windows can be opened a little bit.

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

And continuing on into Poland from Vienna, so far meticulously on time.

Me, besides an incoming train at Vienna main train station. It is sunny.

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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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