Scientific Research at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics

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Research Activities

ICTP is an institution that is run by scientists for scientists. Without a strong internal core of research, an institution like ICTP cannot disseminate knowledge effectively. Thus, ICTP has fostered research groups in several areas of physical sciences and mathematics, organized as follows.

The bulk of the research at the Centre is carried out by the staff of these scientific sections and their consultants, long-term and short-term visitors engaged in independent or collaborative research, a relatively large cadre of post-doctoral fellows, as well as the Associates. The scientific sections are also responsible for organizing high-level training courses, workshops, conferences and topical meetings throughout the year.

Applied Physics (AP)

The Applied Physics Section is quite diverse and encompasses areas such as Medical Physics, Physics of the Living State, Ecological and Environmental Economics, Mathematical Modeling, Aeronomy and Radiopropagation Laboratory, Fluid Dynamics, Plasma Physics, Optics and Lasers, Energy Systems and Nuclear Data and Applications, but is not restricted to them.

Condensed Matter and Statistical Physics (CMSP)

The research activities of CMSP fall into the following main domains: mesoscopic and strongly correlated systems, classical and quantum simulations, statistical physics and interdisciplinary applications, and physics related to the synchrotron radiation.
The CMSP section hosts each year numerous conferences, schools and workshops. These activities are typically organized by leading scientists in the respective field, with administrative support from ICTP.

Earth System Physics (ESP)

The Earth System Physics section (EPS), established at ICTP in 1998, studies a wide spectrum of the Earth, from the fluid Earth (oceans and the atmosphere) to the Earth's interior. The group's research has contributed extensively to the IPCC assessment reports on climate change. Two main research lines are conducted in fluid Earth physics: Climate Change and Impacts, and Natural Climate Variability and Predictability. Within the solid Earth physics area, the main line of research is in Mechanics of Earthquakes and Tectonophysics. ESP also includes the Structure and Nonlinear Dynamics of the Earth group.

High Energy, Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (HECAP)

The main research activities at present includes neutrino physics and astrophysics, cosmology, the standard model and beyond, duality symmetry in string theory and extended objects, topological field theory with application to D-brane dynamics.
The section presently comprises senior scientists and postdoctoral researchers, as well as around 250 other short and long-term visitors per year. There is a close collaboration with the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), the Department of Theoretical Physics of Trieste University and physicists of the Trieste section of INFN.

Mathematics (Math)

Research is carried out in various fields of Mathematics, and each year a field of emphasis is chosen. A number of mathematicians, including several post-doctoral fellows, are invited for long or short term visits; in addition several Associates and Affiliates visit the Section. ICTP Math section, in collaboration with SISSA, organizes a Joint Colloquium in Mathematics, which takes place at ICTP six or seven times a year.

Multidisciplinary Laboratory (MLab)

The MLab fosters multidisciplinary research in areas where physics plays a central role, from basic knowledge to advanced scientific instrumentation and techniques. The laboratory is a departure from the purely theoretical physics that is the Centre's main stay, and is a step towards technological and experimental aspects of physics. The MLab foresees five major laboratories: ICTP-INFN Microprocessor Lab, Plasma Focus Lab, Imaging Lab, Accelerator Mass Spectroscopy Lab, and Remote Access Lab. The MLab, in collaboration with IAEA, INFN, Elettra and other institutions, provides support to ICTP training and educational activities that require scientific instrumentation.