News: Cosmology, Theoretical Physics and Gravity

Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin

Research

Dark Matter Might Have Formed Earlier than Thought

The new model is called WIFI, which stands for dark matter production during Warm Inflation via Freeze-In.

A horn-shaped illustration shows how the universe expanded rapidly during a period called cosmic inflation, with black dots representing the formation of dark matter particles throughout this period

McDonald Observatory

Early Dark Energy Could Resolve Cosmology’s Two Biggest Puzzles

Michael Boylan-Kolchin and others show “early dark energy” might help solve the Hubble Tension and explain why there are more early galaxies than expected.

Views of the early universe from a computer model

Research

Improved Method for Estimating the Hubble Constant with Gravitational Waves

There’s a big debate in cosmology about how fast the universe is currently expanding.

A cosmic pairing is bifurcated by a dynamic force shown in light as gases swirl about.

Podcast

Is Cosmology in Crisis?

A panel of physicists and astronomers grapple with possible cracks in our modern creation myth, the standard model of cosmology.

A dramatic spiral galaxy with orange and red arms and a light blue center

Announcements

Excavation of Colossal Caverns for Neutrino Experiment Completed

The caverns in Lead, South Dakota, will house the gigantic particle detectors of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment.

Cranes and other large equipment working in a large cavern

Research

James Webb Telescope Catches Glimpse of Possible First-Ever ‘Dark Stars’

Stars powered with dark matter still need proving but could reveal clues about the nature of one of the universe’s great mysteries.

Three blurry red dots stand out in the blackness of space

Research

Scientists use Exotic Stars to Tune into Hum from Cosmic Symphony

A team of astrophysicists has found evidence for gravitational waves that oscillate with periods of years to decades.

An illustration depicts colliding black holes causing waves in spacetime

Research

James Webb Space Telescope Images Challenge Theories of How Universe Evolved

Hefty young galaxies defy the reigning model of cosmology, called "dark energy + cold dark matter" or ΛCDM.

Six candidate galaxies

Research

Cosmic Dawn III Recreates the Early Universe Epoch of Reionization in Unprecedented Detail

Scientists create the most detailed and accurate simulation ever produced of the first billion years of the universe.

Hot spots appear prominent on a mass of lines that interconnect as in a network

Podcast

A Physicist’s Search for Beauty

Steven Weinberg aimed to distill the rules of physics down to their simplest, most beautiful essence.

Portrait of a man in a suit with arms crossed in front of an illustration of the Standard Model of Physics