Research Groups at the Physics Department
Applied Quantum Field Theory
Our group focuses on the development and application of theoretical methods in the physics of strong interactions, the fundamental forces which are responsible for the inner structure of protons and neutrons as well as for the structure of nuclei. The basis of these investigations is Quantum Chromo Dynamics (QCD), the theory of the interaction of quarks and gluons. Part of this program is the investigation of the substructure of baryons and mesons as well as the explanation of the wealth of phenomena resulting from the collective interplay of these particles in nuclei.
Observational Cosmology (Prof. Sherry Suyu)
Through spectacular gravitational lensing effects, our group is shedding light on the dark cosmos: dark energy, dark matter and supermassive black holes.
Dense and Strange Hadronic Matter (Prof. Laura Fabbietti)
We experimentally investigate the properties of strange particles produced in heavy-ion and elementary reactions at intermediate beam energies. Our goal is to understand the interaction of particles which contain a strange quark with nucleons under different density and temperature conditions.
Dark Matter (Prof. Susanne Mertens)
We study the elusive particle, the neutrino, to unlock fundamental mysteries of physics: What is our universe made of? How did structures evolve? Why is our world made of matter and not anti-matter?
Experimental Physics with Cosmic Particles (Prof. Elisa Resconi)
In our group, astro- and particle physics, ground- and space-based experiments, photon and neutrino observations are combined in a scientific program in order to address the following questions: How do astrophysical accelerators work? Do neutrinos have non standard properties, beyond standard oscillation? What is the mass hierarchy of neutrinos? Is the proton stable? Where and what is dark matter?
Experimental Astro-Particle Physics (Prof. Lothar Oberauer)
Neutrino physics with JUNO (Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory). Neutrino oscillation effects, astroparticle physics and search for proton decay.
Experimental Astro-Particle Physics (Prof. Stefan Schönert)
Our group is involved in a number of research projects in neutrino physics and dark matter research.
Hadronic Structure and Fundamental Symmetries (Prof. Stephan Paul)
Our group involved in a number of research projects dealing with high energy particle physics and neutron physics.
Nuclear Astrophysics
Our group works on a number of research projects on nuclear astrophysics, chemical evolution of the universe, as well as synthesis of nuclear physics, astronomy and stellar theory.
Precision Measurements at Extreme Conditions (Prof. Peter Fierlinger)
Our research deals with experiments that should help to understand properties of the early Universe. We currently focus on the nature of the excess of matter versus antimatter. In most scenarios that describe this so-called baryogenesis, new sources of broken symmetries in the early Universe are required. Electric dipole moments (EDM) of fundamental quantum systems are interesting systems to investigate such new sources of CP (or T) violation in the baryon-sector, beyond the Standard Model of particle physics (SM).
Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics (Prof. Martin Beneke)
Our research is in theoretical particle physics. We are interested in high-energy collider phenomenology, perturbative loop calculations, searches for physics beyond the Standard Model and the phenomenology of the Standard Model, the physics of heavy quarks (bottom, top), CP violation, strong interaction physics and some aspects of cosmology/dark matter.
Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics (Prof. Alejandro Ibarra)
The Standard Model of Particle Physics provides an excellent description of nature at distances larger than E-16 cm, or equivalently energies smaller than 100 GeV. However, there are reasons to believe that the Standard Model is incomplete and needs to be extended. Our research group considers extensions of the Standard Model that might account for these observations and we study their consequences for present and future experiments.
Theoretical Physics of the Early Universe (Prof. Björn Garbrecht)
The cosmic evolution depends sensitively on initial conditions, such as the matter-antimatter asymmetry, the Dark Matter abundance and density perturbations, that eventually grow into galaxies. Understanding the initial conditions is one of the key motivations for exploring Physics beyond the Standard Model. Cosmology thus complements laboratory experiments such as the Large Hadron Collider. The particular research interests of our group encompass the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry and of density perturbations from inflation.
Theoretical Particle Physics (Prof. Lorenzo Tancredi)
Our main research interest is at the interface between new mathematical methods in quantum field theory and high-energy particle physics phenomenology. We study the mathematical structures which hide behind scattering amplitudes and Feynman diagrams, with the goal of developing new methods to study the dynamics of the Standard Model of particle physics. This will help us, among the others, to understand the details of the spontaneous symmetry breaking mechanism and the properties of the Higgs boson and, possibly, it will pave the way to discover signs of New Physics.
Theoretical Particle Physics at Colliders (Prof. Andreas Weiler)
The aim of our work is to develop plausible theories that address the problems of the Standard Model and to derive signatures, which can be tested at experiments like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The central question is the nature of electro-weak symmetry breaking, and the properties of the Higgs particle, which is central to the whole enterprise. The properties of the electroweak symmetry breaking sector remain nebulous, and yet there is no doubt their influence is crucial in many areas of physics such as flavour and CP violation, early Universe cosmology and dark-matter.
Theoretical Particle and Nuclear Physics (Prof. Nora Brambilla)
Effective Quantum Field Theories (EFTs) are the state-of-the-art tools for analyzing physical systems that contain many different energy or momentum scales. Such systems are the rule, rather than the exception, from the "high"-energy domain of Particle Physics to the "low"-energy domain of Nuclear Physics.