The Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics (SITP) is a research institute within the Physics Department at
Stanford University. Led by 16 physics faculty members, the institute conducts research in
High Energy and
Condensed Matter
Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. More generally, the su ...
theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...
.
Research
Research within SITP includes a strong focus on fundamental questions about the new physics underlying the Standard Models of particle physics and cosmology, and on the nature and applications of our basic frameworks (quantum field theory and string theory) for attacking these questions.
Principal areas of research include:
*
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. ...
*
Condensed matter theory
*
Cosmology
Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...
*
Formal theory
*
Physics beyond the standard model
* "Precision frontiers"
*
Quantum computing
*
Quantum gravity
Central questions include:
* What governs particle theory beyond the scale of electroweak symmetry breaking?
* How do string theory and holography resolve the basic puzzles of general relativity, including the deep issues arising in black hole physics and the study of cosmological horizons?
* Which class of models of inflationary cosmology captures the physics of the early universe, and what preceded inflation?
* Can physicists develop new techniques in quantum field theory and string theory to shed light on mysterious phases arising in many contexts in condensed matter physics (notably, in the high temperature superconductors)?
Faculty
Current faculty include:
*
Savas Dimopoulos
Savas Dimopoulos (; el, Σάββας Δημόπουλος; born 1952) is a particle physicist at Stanford University. He worked at CERN from 1994 to 1997. Dimopoulos is well known for his work on constructing theories beyond the Standard Model.
...
, theorist focusing on
physics beyond the standard model; winner of
Sakurai Prize
The J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, is presented by the American Physical Society at its annual April Meeting, and honors outstanding achievement in particle physics theory. The prize consists of a monetary award ($10,000 U ...
*
Sebastian Doniach
Sebastian Doniach (born 1934, in Paris, France) is a British- American physicist and professor at Stanford University. His research interests include theoretical condensed matter physics, superconductivity, and biophysics.
Family
His mother w ...
, condensed matter physicist
* Daniel Fisher, biophysicist
*
Surya Ganguli, theoretical neuroscientist
* Peter Graham, winner of 2017 New Horizons Prize
*
Sean Hartnoll,
AdS/CFT, winner of
New Horizons Prize
*
Patrick Hayden, quantum information theorist
*
Shamit Kachru, string theorist; Stanford Physics Department chair
*
Renata Kallosh
Renata Elizaveta Kallosh uk, Рената Єлизавета Каллош; born 1943) is Ukrainian-American a theoretical physicist. She is a Professor of Physics at Stanford University, working there on supergravity, string theory and inflati ...
, noted string theorist
*
Vedika Khemani, condensed matter theorist
*
Steven Kivelson, condensed matter theorist
*
Robert Laughlin
Robert Betts Laughlin (born November 1, 1950) is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at Stanford University. Along with Horst L. Störmer of Columbia University and Daniel C. Tsui of Princeton Universi ...
, Nobel Laureate known for work on
fractional quantum Hall effect
The fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) is a physical phenomenon in which the Hall conductance of 2-dimensional (2D) electrons shows precisely quantized plateaus at fractional values of e^2/h. It is a property of a collective state in which elec ...
*
Andrei Linde
Andrei Dmitriyevich Linde (russian: Андре́й Дми́триевич Ли́нде; born March 2, 1948) is a Russian-American theoretical physicist and the Harald Trap Friis Professor of Physics at Stanford University.
Linde is one of the ...
, cosmologist and winner of
Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
The Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics is one of the Breakthrough Prizes, awarded by the Breakthrough Prize Board. Initially named Fundamental Physics Prize, it was founded in July 2012 by Russia-born Israeli entrepreneur, venture cap ...
*
Xiaoliang Qi, quantum gravity and quantum information
* Srinivas Raghu, condensed matter theorist
*
Leonardo Senatore, cosmologist and winner of
New Horizons prize in physics
*
Stephen Shenker, string theorist
*
Eva Silverstein, cosmologist, string theorist, and recipient of
MacArthur "Genius grant" award
*
Douglas Stanford
Douglas Stanford is an American theoretical physicist. He is an associate professor of physics at Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics of Stanford University. His research interests include quantum gravity, quantum field theory and string ...
, quantum gravity theorist
*
Leonard Susskind
Leonard Susskind (; born June 16, 1940)his 60th birthday was celebrated with a special symposium at Stanford University.in Geoffrey West's introduction, he gives Suskind's current age as 74 and says his birthday was recent. is an American physicis ...
, string theorist known for
string landscape; popular science book author
References
External links
Stanford Institute for Theoretical PhysicsStanford Physics DepartmentSLAC Theory Group
Stanford University
Theoretical physics institutes
{{physics-org-stub