Physical Sciences

The physical sciences research group is divided into three subgroups with related research lines: theoretical physics, experimental physics and environmental physics / mineralogy.

The members of the group deal with aspects related to high energy theories (starting from the standard model of elementary particles, up to mathematical aspects of string theory). In particular, the non-perturbative aspects of field theories are considered and studied with string theory methods: AdS / CFT, exact calculations of the prepotential with angle D-brane methods and asymptotic developments. The mathematical aspects related to supersymmetry are studied: localization, method of integral forms and string theory with the Pure Spinors. With this method, all the symmetries of the theory can be made manifest and the interaction with supergravity backgrounds can be studied. Among the various supergravity backgrounds exist unconventional geometries that give rise to non-commutative spaces. The study of field and string theories on non-commutative geometries involves the study of topology, differentiable structures and bundles. An in-depth study of the non-commutative geometry structures underlying the formulation of gauge field theories and the topological aspects in non-commutative geometry is proposed. In relation to the investigations on duality symmetries, it is proposed, for example, to enlarge the symmetry group by considering new discrete transformations. In particular, we propose to find an extended theory of gravity in 4 dimensions deriving from the dimensional reduction of the Chern-Simons theory in 5 dimensions. From a more phenomenological point of view, hadronic processes are studied with particular attention to the phenomena of strong interaction by means of QCD perturbation techniques. Finally, in the context of optimal control theory, quantum phenomena are studied.

Theoretical Physics

The members of the group deal with aspects related to high energy theories (starting from the standard model of elementary particles, up to mathematical aspects of string theory). In particular, the non-perturbative aspects of field theories are considered and studied with string theory methods: AdS / CFT, exact calculations of the prepotential with angle D-brane methods and asymptotic developments. The mathematical aspects related to supersymmetry are studied: localization, method of integral forms and string theory with the Pure Spinors. With this method, all the symmetries of the theory can be made manifest and the interaction with supergravity backgrounds can be studied. Among the various supergravity backgrounds exist unconventional geometries that give rise to non-commutative spaces. The study of field and string theories on non-commutative geometries involves the study of topology, differentiable structures and bundles. An in-depth study of the non-commutative geometry structures underlying the formulation of gauge field theories and the topological aspects in non-commutative geometry is proposed. In relation to the investigations on duality symmetries, it is proposed, for example, to enlarge the symmetry group by considering new discrete transformations. In particular, we propose to find an extended theory of gravity in 4 dimensions deriving from the dimensional reduction of the Chern-Simons theory in 5 dimensions. From a more phenomenological point of view, hadronic processes are studied with particular attention to the phenomena of strong interaction by means of QCD perturbation techniques. Finally, in the context of optimal control theory, quantum phenomena are studied.

Experimental Physics

The research activity is focused on the ALICE experiment, at the LCH accelerator of CERN where high energy density nuclear matter processes are studied through proton-proton, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions and the COMPASS experiments at the Super Proto Synchrotron to better understand the internal structure of hadrons (protons, neutrons). In detail, this corresponds to the restart of the ALICE experiment after the Long Shutdown 1 and the data taking in Run 2; the first data taking of Drell-Yan events from polarized targets in the COMPASS experiment and the finalization of the multidimensional analysis for transverse spin asymmetries on single hadron in the COMPASS experiment. In experimental physics, a further activity is the collaboration with the BES III experiment (Beijing China) which studies the decay and new states of charmonio, Tau and QCD, light hadrons and the PANDA experiment (GSI Darmstadt Germany): hadron spectroscopy (research of exotic particles and measures of hadronic properties), nuclear structure (Drell-Yan distributions, proton form factors), study of interactions with hypernuclei.

Environmental Physics and Mineralogy

The research activity is concentrated on the estimates of the risk due to intense atmospheric phenomena in the presence of thermal convection through physical and numerical models (CRT Foundation Project). The development of physical models of atmospheric and oceanic phenomena in a rotating environment (European Project Euhit) and the development of a community model for the study of air quality. In addition, operational and replicable methodologies are also studied for the observation of the sea from SAR, with particular attention to emergency management; the development of operational and replicable methodologies for the characterization of atmospheric particulate matter, with particular attention to asbestos and the development of innovative methodologies for the production and storage of energy, with particular attention to renewable sources.