NASA’s IXPE May Have Proven 90-Year-Old Theory

NASA's Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) has achieved a groundbreaking observation, potentially confirming a theoretical prediction regarding empty space dating back to 1933. Researchers at NASA completed over 140 hours of focused measurements on the magnetar 1E 2259+83, located approximately 16,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Boötes. The IXPE data revealed that the surrounding vacuum exhibited behavior consistent with predictions made by physicist Willem de Haas nearly nine decades ago. This represents the first direct measurement of this phenomenon and provides strong evidence supporting de Haas’s theory about the interaction between magnetic fields and spacetime. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature, marking a significant advancement in our understanding of fundamental physics.