Current Research Areas

At the boundary between fundamental physics and astrophysics/cosmology, we investigate the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe, the nature of the dark matter, the generation of the primordial fluctuations which seeded large-scale structure, and the sources and propagation of high energy cosmic radiation.

An exciting research area that is taking shape just these years lies at the interface of biology and physics. Here, methods and theory known from physics are used to explore mechanisms that work within the cell, at the deepest microbiological level. Our research spans several different subjects, including also biocomplexity.

The main themes currently under study include how to create, control, measure, and protect quantum coherence and entanglement in solid-state electronic devices. We are undertaking the dual challenge of building large controlled interacting quantum devices while simultaneously understanding their power.

We aim at unveiling the nature of fascinating weakly interacting elementary particles, such as the neutrino, and at using them as probes of the engine behind the most energetic transients in our Universe.

The search for the most fundamental interactions of Nature probes the shortest distances ever reached. Right now, a major impact comes from the experimental front, in particular from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, but also from neutrino experiments, and, remarkably, from cosmology. The theory group at the NBIA explores all these frontiers and has a strong focus on modern amplitude calculations. Most recently, the group is leading new ways to compute in classical general relativity on the basis of quantum field theory methods.

We strive for a comprehensive approach to astrophysics. Current research areas encompass protoplanetary disks and planet formation, black hole accretion disks, the physics of gravitational-wave sources, and the intracluster medium in galaxy clusters. All of these problems are tackled with a very wide perspective, ranging from fundamental theoretical aspects to state-of-the-art simulations that make it possible to link theory with observations.