HECAP

High Energy, Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics

Contacts:

From string theory to physics at large energy colliders, from neutrino phenomenology to alternative cosmologies.

The High Energy, Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (HECAP) section at ICTP is studying some of the most exciting areas in physics today, from string theory to physics at large energy colliders, from neutrino phenomenology to alternative cosmologies.

HECAP collaborates closely with the staff of the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), the Department of Theoretical Physics of Trieste University, and with the physicists of the Trieste section of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN).

Seminars view all

Europe/Rome 2017-08-10 16:30:00 2017-08-10 18:00:00 To be announced ICTP ICTP pio@ictp.it 10 Aug 2017

» To be announced

Europe/Rome 2017-09-12 16:30:00 2017-09-12 18:00:00 To be announced ICTP ICTP pio@ictp.it 12 Sep 2017

» To be announced

Europe/Rome 2017-09-14 16:30:00 2017-09-14 18:00:00 To be announced ICTP ICTP pio@ictp.it 14 Sep 2017

» To be announced

Activities view all

Europe/Rome 2017-07-17 08:00:00 2017-07-28 22:00:00 ICTP-Trieste/ICTP-SAIFR School on Open Problems in Cosmology | (smr 3164) The primary temperature anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) have now been mapped by the Planck satellite to near the limits set by cosmic variance and foregrounds. As a result, the future of the field will now shift toward large-scale structure (LSS) surveys and CMB polarization. This new territory presents both a challenge and an opportunity. While data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and smallscale CMB experiments like ACTpol and SPTpol have been available for a few years, these experiments have yet to compete with measurements of the CMB temperature in raw sensitivity. Ultimately, new experiments must surpass existing constraints if we are going to address unresolved questions we face today in regards to the physics of the early universe. Existing data supports the framework of inflation at early times, nevertheless, we know very little about the mechanism that leads to an accelerated expansion, either in the past or in our current universe. In addition, motivations from particle physics, and from the observation of late time acceleration, suggest our cosmological history may be more intricate than previously thought. Cosmological observations may be thus our only hope to address these issues. The aim of the school is to familiarize students with both the important theoretical questions left in cosmology and the observations that may shed light on them in the future. The first week will develop the theoretical background, while in the second week future observational probes are discussed. On Saturday, July 22, ICTP-SAIFR will host the workshop on open problems in cosmology. Presentations will provide a review of the newest developments in both theoretical tools, forecasts and observations. The discussion will be oriented towards the problems that are most relevant for further progress. The application for the school automatically includes participation in the workshop. There is no registration fee and limited funds are available for travel and local expenses. First week: Daniel Baumann (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) & Paolo Creminelli (ICTP-Trieste): Introduction to Primordial Physics Raphael Flauger (UC San Diego, USA): Introduction to CMB Theory Oliver Hahn (Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur/Université de Nice, France) & Rafael Porto (ICTP-SAIFR/IFT-UNESP, Brazil): Introduction to LSS: Theory and Simulations Second week: Julien Lesgourgues (Universität Aachen, Germany): Introduction to CMB observations Will Percival (University of Portsmouth, USA): Introduction to LSS observations Matias Zaldarriaga (IAS Princeton, USA): Advanced topics for the study of LSS The link to the activity webpage for registration is: http://www.ictp-saifr.org/cosmology17 Sao Paulo - Brazil ICTP pio@ictp.it 17 Jul 2017 - 28 Jul 2017

» ICTP-Trieste/ICTP-SAIFR School on Open Problems in Cosmology | (smr 3164)

Members view all

Opportunities

Research and Visiting Opportunities

The HECAP section has research and visitors' programmes mostly aimed at scientists from developing countries.

Research: Director's Office

String Phenomenology and Cosmology

The main motivation to study string theory is because it promises to provide a framework to unify all matter and interactions, including gravity, in a consistent theory. Despite the intrinsic difficulty of dealing with a theory that manifests itself at scales as high as the Planck mass, for more than 25 years there has been continuous progress in order to connect string theory and low-energy physics. This refers to extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics and cosmology that could lead to some observable implications.

Phenomenology of particle physics

Researchers in this area, which bridges theoretical physics (such as quantum field theory and theories of the structure of spacetime) and experimental particle physics, are exploring: neutrino phenomenology; astroparticle physics; phenomenology at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and other high-energy colliders; and flavor physics.

Cosmology

The study of the large-scale structure and the evolution of the universe has in the last few years entered a qualitatively new phase, driven by a host of experimental results. Topics being studied at ICTP include clustering dark energy, non-gaussianity, and eternal inflation.

String and higher dimensional theories

This field combines quantum mechanics and general relativity into a quantum theory of gravity that attempts to describe all the known natural forces and matter in a mathematically complete system. In string theory, the electrons and quarks inside an atom are vibrational modes of one-dimensional extended objects, relativistic strings. ICTP's string theorists are exploring holographic QCD and holographic hydrodynamics; topological string theory; spin-2 particles; and the spectrum of a class of brane solutions in minimal gauged supergravity in six dimensions.

Experimental Particle Physics

The Udine/ICTP ATLAS group, supported by the INFN, is part of the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The group has made (and is making) significant contributions to several measurements and observations involving the top quark, the Higgs boson and searches for new physics. The group is also strongly involved in science outreach and public engagement. In addition, it participates in the development of detectors for the LHC upgrade, as well as Monte Carlo simulation/validation and computing performance. ICTP joined forces with the University of Udine ATLAS group in 2008.