Newsletter October 2025

Tuesday 28 Oct 2025, 10:00 → 12:00 Europe/Rome

This is October’s edition of the newsletter of the COST action. The aim is to keep you updated on recent and upcoming conferences and postdoc positions on subjects related to WISPs.

 

Cosmic Wispers preprints

Probing ALP-photon couplings in Neutron Stars: Scalar versus pseudoscalar cases

D. Suárez-Fontanella, C. Albertus, M. Ángeles Pérez-García

https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.09141

We investigate the distribution of an interacting axion-like massive field within a magnetized Neutron Star. For this we consider the effect of an intense density-dependent axially symmetric stellar magnetic field  adding another much weaker, but non-vanishing, electric field. We particularize the latter for the case when a finite chiral charge density is present. The axion field is thus coupled to a generic function  depending on Lorentz invariants  which can be constructed from these electromagnetic fields. From this, the static axion field equations are solved as a function of stellar radial coordinate and angular direction,  using a prescribed linear form for. In addition, we use a semi-analytical approach to calculate the stellar structure in this hybrid system where pressure components are treated under a perturbative scheme, provided induced deformations with respect to spherical symmetry are tiny. Our results show that the axion couplings to magnetic and electric fields along with its mass, critically determine the axion spatial distribution. Furthermore, we focus on the possibility that the axion field might accumulate in specific outer regions of the star, particularly within the crust, where it could form a condensate. We explore the possible presence of magnetic flux tubes from superconductor phases in these outer layers and qualitatively show they may enhance local conversion into photons. We explore prospects of detectability through indirect methods.

 

We encourage participants in the COST action to send us a small summary, typically smaller than the abstract, of their own articles that will appear in the arXiv (after they appear, with their arXiv numbers). The summary will be disseminated in the newsletter.

Send email to 

Alessandro Lella alessandro.lella@ba.infn.it

Damiano Fiorillo damianofg@gmail.com

with subject: preprint summary for Cosmic WISPers newsletter.

 

 

PhD/Postdoc/Junior Positions

• October

• Three PhD positions in astroparticle physics, to start at the earliest convenience, Aachen University link

• PhD in Experimental Space Astroparticle Physics (DAMPE & HERD), Geneva University link

• November

• Multiple PhD Positions in Fundamental Physics and Quantum Dynamics, Max Planck Institute, Heidelberg link

• Postdoctoral Research Associate - Liquid Noble Dark Matter Detection, SLAC link

• Postdoctoral positions in theoretical physics, CERN link

• Postdoc positions in dark matter particle phenomenology, Chalmers University link

• PhD positions in Astrophysics, Cosmology and Gravitation, Espirito Santo University, South America link

• Postdocs in High-Energy Particle Physics and Cosmology, Peking University link

• Postdoctoral positions in experimental particle, astroparticle and nuclear physics, IFIC, Valencia link

• December

• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Theoretical Particle Cosmology, UPenn, Philadelphia link

• CCAPP Postdoctoral Fellow, Ohio State University link

• Postdoctoral fellowship in astroparticle theory, Queen’s University, Kingston link

• Postdoctoral fellowship in particle astrophysics and multi-messenger astrophysics, Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen link

• MSc and PhD Positions in Astroparticle Physics Phenomenology, University of Alberta link

• Two Postdoctoral Fellowships in Machine Learning for Astrophysics & Cosmology, Stockholm University link

• Post-doctoral position in particle cosmology, Warsaw University link

• Faculty position in nuclear and astro-particle physics theory and experiment, T.-D. Lee Institute, Shanghai link

• January

• Postdoctoral positions in theoretical nuclear and particle astrophysics, Taiwan Institute link

 

 

Conferences

• November

• Theoretical Tools for Gravitational Wave Physics link

• Axions in Japan link

• Light Dark Sectors @ LNF link

• Theory meets Experiments 2025: School on Direct Detection across Dark Matter mass ranges link

• December

• Strings & Cosmology Meeting link

• January

• New Windows on Fundamental Physics: from tabletop devices to large scale detectors link

• March

• GGI PhD School on "Theoretical Aspects of Astroparticle Physics, Cosmology and Gravitation" link

• June

• 16th International Workshop on the Identification of Dark Matter 2026 (IDM 2026) link

• 32nd International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics (Neutrino 2026) link

• PASCOS 2026: The 31st International Symposium on Particles, Strings, and Cosmology (PASCOS2026) link

• Invisibles 26 link

• 4th Training School of the COST Action CA21106: Cosmic WISPers link

• 4th General Meeting of the COST Action: Cosmic WISPers (CA21106) link