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  1. We develop tools of Bayesian inference on the moduli space of Calabi–Yau (CY) manifolds. We sample from the invariant Weil–Petersson (WP) measure using Markov Chain Monte Carlo and normalizing flows on Kähler moduli space with dimension up to h1,1=30 , and present results on the spectrum of the CY volume and properties of divisors when the measure is restricted in physically meaningful ways. We furthermore present a theory-informed prior on axion masses and decay constants (ma,fa) marginalized over the WP measure for inequivalent CYs constructable from the Kreuzer–Skarke database with h1,1≤5 . We then impose likelihoods based on axion physics. We demonstrate how detection of a relatively heavy QCD axion at small h1,1 , e.g., by the Axion Dark Matter Experiment, provides detailed information about CY geometry and topology. Finally, we compute a full forward model incorporating likelihoods from the cosmic microwave background and Lyman-alpha forest and find the maximum posterior probability region on the moduli space of a given CY favored by a resolution of the tension in these data by an ultralight axion composing O(1%) of the dark matter. This demonstration serves as a blueprint for future statistical analyses within string phenomenology. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available July 1, 2027
  2. A<sc>bstract</sc> We study fuzzy axion dark matter in type IIB string theory, for axions descending from the Ramond-Ramond four-form in compactifications on orientifolds of Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces. Such models can be tested by cosmological measurements if a significant relic abundance of fuzzy dark matter arises, which we argue is most common in models with small numbers of axions. We construct a topologically exhaustive ensemble of more than 350,000 Calabi-Yau compactifications yielding up to seven axions, and in this setting we perform a systematic analysis of misalignment production of fuzzy dark matter. In typical regions of moduli space, the fuzzy axion, the QCD axion, and other axions have comparable decay constants offa≈ 1016GeV. We find that overproduction of heavier axions is problematic, except at special loci in moduli space where decay constant hierarchies can occur: without a contrived reheating epoch, it is necessary to fine-tune initial displacements. The resulting dark matter is typically a mix of fuzzy axions and heavier axions, including the QCD axion. Dark photons are typically present as a consequence of the orientifold projection. We examine the signatures of these models by simulating halos with multiple fuzzy axions, and by computing new cosmological constraints on ultralight axions and dark radiation. We also give evidence that cosmic birefringence is possible in this setting. Our findings determine the phenomenological correlates of fuzzy axion dark matter in a corner of the landscape. 
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  3. Abstract We present Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 6 (DR6) maps of the Cosmic Microwave Background temperature and polarization anisotropy at arcminute resolution over three frequency bands centered on 98, 150 and 220 GHz. The maps are based on data collected with the AdvancedACT camera over the period 2017–2022 and cover 19,000 square degrees with a median combined depth of 10 μK arcmin. We describe the instrument, mapmaking and map properties and illustrate them with a number of figures and tables. The ACT DR6 maps and derived products are available on LAMBDA athttps://lambda.gsfc.nasa.gov/product/act/actadv_prod_table.html. We also provide an interactive web atlas athttps://phy-act1.princeton.edu/public/snaess/actpol/dr6/atlasand HiPS data sets in Aladin (e.g.https://alasky.cds.unistra.fr/ACT/DR4DR6/color_CMB). 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available November 1, 2026
  4. Abstract We present power spectra of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy in temperature and polarization, measured from the Data Release 6 maps made from Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) data. These cover 19,000 deg2of sky in bands centered at 98, 150 and 220 GHz, with white noise levels three times lower thanPlanckin polarization. We find that the ACT angular power spectra estimated over 10,000 deg2, and measured to arcminute scales in TT, TE and EE, are well fit by the sum of CMB and foregrounds, where the CMB spectra are described by the ΛCDM model. Combining ACT with larger-scalePlanckdata, the joint P-ACT dataset provides tight limits on the ingredients, expansion rate, and initial conditions of the universe. We find similar constraining power, and consistent results, from either thePlanckpower spectra or from ACT combined withWMAPdata, as well as from either temperature or polarization in the joint P-ACT dataset. When combined with CMB lensing from ACT andPlanck, and baryon acoustic oscillation data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI DR1), we measure a baryon density of Ωbh2= 0.0226 ± 0.0001, a cold dark matter density of Ωch2= 0.118 ± 0.001, a Hubble constant ofH0= 68.22 ± 0.36 km/s/Mpc, a spectral index ofns= 0.974 ± 0.003, and an amplitude of density fluctuations ofσ8= 0.813 ± 0.005. Including the DESI DR2 data tightens the Hubble constant toH0= 68.43 ± 0.27 km/s/Mpc; ΛCDM parameters agree between the P-ACT and DESI DR2 data at the 1.6σlevel. We find no evidence for excess lensing in the power spectrum, and no departure from spatial flatness. The contribution from Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) anisotropy is detected at high significance; we find evidence for a tilt with suppressed small-scale power compared to our baseline SZ template spectrum, consistent with hydrodynamical simulations with feedback. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available November 1, 2026
  5. Abstract We use new cosmic microwave background (CMB) primary temperature and polarization anisotropy measurements from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) Data Release 6 (DR6) to test foundational assumptions of the standard cosmological model, ΛCDM, and set constraints on extensions to it. We derive constraints from the ACT DR6 power spectra alone, as well as in combination with legacy data from thePlanckmission. To break geometric degeneracies, we include ACT andPlanckCMB lensing data and baryon acoustic oscillation data from DESI Year-1. To test the dependence of our results on non-ACT data, we also explore combinations replacingPlanckwithWMAPand DESI with BOSS, and further add supernovae measurements from Pantheon+ for models that affect the late-time expansion history. We verify the near-scale-invariance (running of the spectral indexdns/dlnk= 0.0062 ± 0.0052) and adiabaticity of the primordial perturbations. Neutrino properties are consistent with Standard Model predictions: we find no evidence for new light, relativistic species that are free-streaming (Neff= 2.86 ± 0.13, which combined with astrophysical measurements of primordial helium and deuterium abundances becomesNeff= 2.89 ± 0.11), for non-zero neutrino masses (∑mν< 0.089 eV at 95% CL), or for neutrino self-interactions. We also find no evidence for self-interacting dark radiation (Nidr< 0.134), or for early-universe variation of fundamental constants, including the fine-structure constant (αEM/αEM,0= 1.0043 ± 0.0017) and the electron mass (me/me,0= 1.0063 ± 0.0056). Our data are consistent with standard big bang nucleosynthesis (we findYp= 0.2312 ± 0.0092), theCOBE/FIRAS-inferred CMB temperature (we findTCMB= 2.698 ± 0.016 K), a dark matter component that is collisionless and with only a small fraction allowed as axion-like particles, a cosmological constant (w= -0.986 ± 0.025), and the late-time growth rate predicted by general relativity (γ= 0.663 ± 0.052). We find no statistically significant preference for a departure from the baseline ΛCDM model. In fits to models invoking early dark energy, primordial magnetic fields, or an arbitrary modified recombination history, we findH0= 69.9+0.8-1.5, 69.1 ± 0.5, or 69.6 ± 1.0 km/s/Mpc, respectively; using BOSS instead of DESI BAO data reduces the central values of these constraints by 1–1.5 km/s/Mpc while only slightly increasing the error bars. In general, models introduced to increase the Hubble constant or to decrease the amplitude of density fluctuations inferred from the primary CMB are not favored over ΛCDM by our data. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available November 1, 2026