Publications
25 peer-reviewed and preprint publications spanning cosmology, dark matter, machine learning, and high-energy astrophysics. Research ranges from foundational theory — dark energy models, modified gravity, dark matter condensates — to data-driven methods including normalizing flows for Bayesian inference, simulation-based analysis of galaxy surveys (DESI, BOSS, SDSS), and deep learning for gravitational lensing. Author order follows the particle physics convention (alphabetical) unless marked with *.
Citation Summary
2025
Kinetic Mixing and the Phantom Illusion: Axion-Dilaton Quintessence in Light of DESI DR2
M. W. Toomey, E. Hughes, M. M. Ivanov, J. M. Sullivan
Under review at PRD · 6 citations
New axion-dilaton quintessence model that naturally explains DESI DR2 phantom crossing without fine-tuning.
How Theory-Informed Priors Affect DESI Evidence for Evolving Dark Energy
M. W. Toomey, G. Montefalcone, E. McDonough, K. Freese
Under review at PRD · 19 citations
Shows that physically motivated priors from normalizing flows significantly alter DESI evidence for evolving dark energy.
Kinetically Coupled Dark Matter Condensates
M. W. Toomey, S. M. Koushiappas, S. Alexander
Under review at PRD · 4 citations
Derives new dark matter condensate model with kinetic coupling that produces novel substructure signatures.
Learning Theory Informed Priors for Bayesian Inference: A Case Study with Early Dark Energy
M. W. Toomey, M. M. Ivanov, E. McDonough
Physical Review D 112 (2025) 103539 · 4 citations
Developed normalizing flow framework to learn physically motivated priors, applied to early dark energy parameter estimation.
Heterotic Warm Inflation
A. Berera, H. Bernardo, S. Brahma, J. Calderón-Figueroa, R. O. Ramos, M. W. Toomey
Under review at JHEP · 1 citations
New warm inflation mechanism from heterotic string theory with natural dissipation from gauge fields.
Domain Adaptation in Application to Gravitational Lens Finding
H. Parul, S. Gleyzer, P. Reddy, M. W. Toomey
The Astrophysical Journal 990 (2025) 47 · 2 citations
Mentored student project combining domain adaptation with equivariant networks for real observational lens detection.
Full-Shape Analysis with Simulation-Based Priors: Cosmological Parameters and the Structure Growth Anomaly
M. M. Ivanov, A. Obuljen, C. Cuesta-Lazaro, M. W. Toomey
Physical Review D 111 (2025) 063548 · 52 citations
Simulation-based priors from normalizing flows applied to full-shape galaxy clustering analysis, constraining the S₈ growth anomaly.
Fundamental Physics with the Lyman-Alpha Forest
M. M. Ivanov, M. W. Toomey, N. G. Karaçaylı
Physical Review Letters 134 (2025) 091001 · 32 citations
First effective field theory analysis of the Lyman-alpha forest from SDSS, constraining neutrino masses and structure growth.
2024
The Millennium and Astrid Galaxies in Effective Field Theory
M. M. Ivanov, C. Cuesta-Lazaro, A. Obuljen, M. W. Toomey, Y. Ni, S. Bose, et al.
Under review at PRD · 23 citations
Field-level comparison of EFT galaxy models against hydrodynamic simulations (Millennium-TNG, Astrid).
DiffLense: A Conditional Diffusion Model for Super-Resolution of Gravitational Lensing Data
P. Reddy, M. W. Toomey, H. Parul, S. Gleyzer
Machine Learning: Science and Technology 5 (2024) 035076 · 4 citations
Mentored development of a conditional diffusion model that upscales lensing images from Subaru to Hubble quality.
Full-Shape Analysis with Simulation-Based Priors: Constraints on Single Field Inflation from BOSS
M. M. Ivanov, C. Cuesta-Lazaro, S. Mishra-Sharma, A. Obuljen, M. W. Toomey
Physical Review D 110 (2024) 063538 · 57 citations
Simulation-based inference pipeline constraining inflationary physics from BOSS galaxy survey data.
Observational Constraints on Early Dark Energy
E. McDonough, J. C. Hill, M. M. Ivanov, A. La Posta, M. W. Toomey
International Journal of Modern Physics D 33 (2024) 2430003 · 50 citations
Comprehensive review of observational constraints on early dark energy models from CMB, LSS, and BAO data.
2023
Quantum Gravity Signatures in the Late Universe
M. W. Toomey, S. M. Koushiappas, B. Alexandre, J. Magueijo
Physical Review D 108 (2023) 083507 · 1 citations
Derives late-universe observational signatures of quantum gravity effects on dark energy equation of state.
Addressing the Hubble and S₈ Tensions with a Kinetically Mixed Dark Sector
S. Alexander, H. Bernardo, M. W. Toomey
JCAP 03 (2023) 037 · 34 citations
Proposed a kinetically mixed dark sector model that simultaneously addresses both the Hubble and S₈ tensions.
Domain Adaptation for Simulation-Based Dark Matter Searches with Strong Gravitational Lensing
S. Alexander, S. Gleyzer, P. Reddy, M. Tidball, M. W. Toomey
The Astrophysical Journal 954 (2023) 28 · 12 citations
Led development of domain adaptation techniques bridging simulated and real lensing data for dark matter searches.
2022
2021
The Autodidactic Universe
S. Alexander, W. J. Cunningham, J. Lanier, L. Smolin, S. Stanojevic, M. W. Toomey, D. Wecker
Preprint · 12 citations
Collaboration with Jaron Lanier and Lee Smolin at Microsoft Research exploring self-learning cosmological dynamics.
Deep Learning the Astrometric Signature of Dark Matter Substructure
K. Vattis, M. W. Toomey, S. M. Koushiappas
Physical Review D 104 (2021) 123541 · 12 citations
Applied deep learning to detect dark matter substructure from stellar astrometric perturbations.
The Physics of Machine Learning: An Intuitive Introduction for the Physical Scientist
S. Alexander, S. Bawabe, B. Friedman-Shaw, M. W. Toomey
Preprint
Pedagogical review connecting machine learning concepts to their roots in statistical physics, co-written with mentored students.
2020
Constraining Early Dark Energy with Large-Scale Structure
M. M. Ivanov, E. McDonough, J. C. Hill, M. Simonović, M. W. Toomey, S. Alexander, M. Zaldarriaga
Physical Review D 102 (2020) 103502 · 280 citations
First large-scale structure constraints on early dark energy using EFT of LSS applied to BOSS data.
Early Dark Energy Does Not Restore Cosmological Concordance
J. C. Hill, E. McDonough, M. W. Toomey, S. Alexander
Physical Review D 102 (2020) 043507 · 367 citations
Demonstrated that early dark energy resolves the Hubble tension but introduces new tensions with LSS and CMB lensing.
Gamma-Ray Counterparts of 2WHSP BL Lac Objects as Possible Signatures of UHECR Emission
M. W. Toomey, F. Oikonomou, K. Murase
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 497 (2020) 2455 · 6 citations
Identified gamma-ray blazar counterparts as potential sources of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays.
Deep Learning the Morphology of Dark Matter Substructure
S. Alexander, S. Gleyzer, E. McDonough, M. W. Toomey, E. Usai
The Astrophysical Journal 893 (2020) 15 · 49 citations
Pioneered CNN-based classification of dark matter substructure in lensing images — launched the DeepLense program.
2018
Double Neutron Star Mergers and Short Gamma-Ray Bursts: Long-Lasting High-Energy Signatures
K. Murase, M. W. Toomey, K. Fang, F. Oikonomou, S. S. Kimura, K. Hotokezaka, et al.
The Astrophysical Journal 854 (2018) 60 · 78 citations
Predicted long-lasting high-energy emission signatures from neutron star mergers and remnant dichotomy.
2016
Search for Blazar Flux-Correlated TeV Neutrinos in IceCube 40-String Data
C. F. Turley, D. B. Fox, K. Murase, A. Falcone, M. Barnaba, S. Coutu, et al.
The Astrophysical Journal 833 (2016) 117 · 20 citations
Searched for correlations between blazar gamma-ray flares and TeV neutrinos in IceCube data.