You can read the paper here:
doi.org/10.1002/prop...

Check out Kay Lehnert's most recently published paper titled "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Swampland: The Cosmologist's Handbook to the String-Theoretical Swampland Programme, a massive review of over 3000 papers on the string-theoretical swampland programme, and it's implications for cosmology.

If you're a student of the Physics department, you might even see a familiar face from our technical staff, talking about his journey from MH201 undergraduate, to Technical Officer in the Department of Physics. #MUPhysics

Want to chat with Alumni 🎓 of MH201 and see what careers they work in?
Check out the Science & Engineering Career Speed Networking event happening March 31st! It'll be great opportunity to hear about where MH201 graduates ended up, and the interesting work they all do.

Check out this picture we found while dismantling the last module of our old air shower array! It shows 4 final year students, all of whom worked under Dr Michael Cawley on this array in 1999. This array was designed to detect the secondary particles emitted when cosmic rays strike our atmosphere!

Another successful Particle Physics Masterclass here at #MUPhysics this week! This was our 14th annual session and we were happy to welcome so many students to our department for a fascinating day of learning. A big thanks to our demonstrators who make events like this possible.

Here are some pics 📸 of our postgrads presenting their work at the recent IOP Spring Weekend!
Aoife works on Machine Learning for optical modelling of the QUBIC instrument. Gary is working on MKIDs, a type of superconducting light detector for astronomical instrumentation. #MUPhysics

MU researcher awarded EPA funding for radon gas prevention The cancer risk from radon gas seeping into Irish homes is set to be addressed by a Maynooth University (MU) researcher following a funding award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Dr James McGrath, @mu-physics.bsky.social was awarded €319k from the @epaireland.bsky.social for his work on radon gas prevention due to its cancer risks in homes.

www.maynoothuniversity.ie/news-events/...

Morning Ireland Monday 9 March 2026 Live news, sports, business, weather & traffic from the country's most listened to show on radio. Presented by Audrey Carville and Laura Fletcher.

Did you catch a familiar voice on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning? hashtag#MUPhysics very own Dr Michelle McCrystal was discussing the breakup of the A23a iceberg and how this occurs. Definitely worth a listen below, skip ahead to 1:55:30 to hear a little about Polar Climate Science! 🥶

A vibrant cosmic scene depicts three black holes surrounded by swirling, colorful accretion disks emitting bright jets of light. Wisps of blue, purple, and red gas clouds fill the background, interspersed with clusters of twinkling stars. The composition creates a dynamic and mystical space tableau.

New research on how early baby black holes grew into supermassive giants just hundreds of millions of years after the Big Bang has been published in Nature Astronomy 🌌

@jameswebbdiscovery.com

www.maynoothuniversity.ie/news-events/...

204. The Secret Life of Stars | Newstalk This week we're talking to Dr Emma Whelan from Maynooth University about a new research project i...

📻Listen back: Dr Emma Whelan of the @mu-physics.bsky.social spoke about her research on the secret life of stars and how she hopes to find out more about their formation through her involvement in an international space science mission.

www.newstalk.com/podcasts/let...

A powerful rocket launches into a clear blue sky, leaving behind a massive plume of white smoke and bright fiery exhaust. The scene captures the intensity and energy of the moment, with a nearby water tower visible in the background.

Maynooth University has joined an international space science mission with the successful launch of Mauve, a small ultraviolet telescope developed by UK-based company Blue Skies Space. 🚀

@mu-physics.bsky.social @researchireland.ie

www.maynoothuniversity.ie/faculty-scie...

Make sure not to miss this! The MAUVE launch is (hopefully) going ahead today at 6:18PM (GMT) and can be watched live at the link below. We can't wait to get our hands on the data from this telescope in the future! #MUPhysics

Check out this article on the upcoming Mauve launch! Dr Emma Whelan talks about how this will improve our ability to study and understand star formation, giving us a better understanding of the Universe around us! #MUPhysics

Thanks again to IrelandQCI and all those that gave their time yesterday to talk about Quantum Communications! It was a great day with lots of really interesting conversations. #MUPhysics

All you need to know about string theory 🌌

The concept that string theory suggests a vast range of possible universes is explored by Kay Lehnert from MU’s Department of Physics.

@mu-physics.bsky.social

www.maynoothuniversity.ie/research/spo...

Startup pioneers subscription service for space-based astronomy Blue Skies Space will sell data from its tiny, low-cost UV telescope

Check out this article featuring one of #MUPhysics very own researchers Dr Emma Whelan. It talks about the upcoming Mauve launch and the importance of it for observational astronomy! Keep a close watch on our socials to hear more about this over the coming week!

🎓 Thinking about postgraduate study?
Take the next step at Maynooth University.
Join us at our Postgraduate Open Day
📅 Tuesday, 4 November 2025
🕒 3–6pm | 📍 Maynooth University
👉 Meet lecturers, chat with students, explore your options.
Register now: mu.ie/edge
@maynoothuniversity.ie

Some of our students who received awards this year!

Last week, we had our yearly Pizza Party 🍕 for the Theoretical Physics & Mathematics programme! It was a great opportunity for students of all years to chat with and meet other students and members of staff. We also gave out some awards to some of our exceptional students! #MUPhysics

Tune into Futureproof w/ Jonathan McCrea tomorrow at 12 to catch a familiar voice. Dr John Regan will be talking about asteroid impacts and the Ignobel Prize. Not something to be missed! #MuPhysics

We've joined the Mauve Science Programme! This collaboration is led by our very own Dr Emma Whelan here at #MUPhysics. Watch this space for some fascinating research and an insight into how stars are formed! Check out the details below ✨
www.maynoothuniversity.ie/physics/news...

✨Must See✨
Check out the latest release of JWST images below! #MUPhysics very own Dr Patrick Kavanagh recently led the data reduction of this new data, which reveals the complex heart the Butterfly Nebula. More details here:
www.maynoothuniversity.ie/physics/news...

Check out this article written by one of #MUPhysics very own interns, Kelly Menendez, about our recent attendance at the European Astronomical Society Meeting in UCC. It was a great opportunity to meet new people and see what's happening across Europe. Find the article below! @maynoothuniversity.ie

The Department of Physics open day stand. An Infrared camera is connected to a PC to demonstrate the Physics of Infrared light.

We're all set for tomorrow's @maynoothcao.bsky.social open day. Drop by our stand upstairs in the TSI building where staff and students from @MU-physics will be on hand to answer all your questions about physics at @maynoothuniversity.ie

Very proud of our staff and students representing @mu-physics.bsky.social and volunteering (green t-shirts!) at @eas-meeting.bsky.social #EAS2025 this week

Congratulations to @mu-physics.bsky.social astrophysicists Emma Whelan, Sean Mills, Aparna Unni and Noah Otten who gave talks at the "Accretion Bursts in Protostars: Illuminating the Path of Star Formation" session at @eas-meeting.bsky.social in @ucc.ie

Primordial black holes in cosmological simulations: growth prospects for supermassive black holes It has long been suggested that a fraction of the dark matter in the Universe could exist in the form of primordial black holes (PBHs) that have existed since the radiation dominated era. Recent studi...

Find the paper itself here on the Arxiv! Titled "Primordial black holes in cosmological simulations: growth prospects for supermassive black holes". Definitely a great read for anyone interested in cosmology!
arxiv.org/abs/2506.11233

Tiny ‘primordial’ black holes created in the Big Bang may have rapidly grown to supermassive sizes "Primordial black holes, if they exist, will be hiding in the extremes!"

Check out this article by space.com about a recent paper published by some of MU Physics very own researchers!
This paper discussed the formation and possible rapid growth of primordial black holes in the early universe.
www.space.com/astronomy/bl...

We're incredibly proud to be taking part in this years Micro-Internship Programme, through the National Science Museum here at Maynooth. We have two interns starting with us, Adam and Ciara, and they have some great stuff planned. Watch this space!
www.maynoothuniversity.ie/news-events/...