IFAE Research Groups

Theory Division

  • Theory Division

    The IFAE Theory division research focuses on Standard Model, Flavor Physics, Beyond the Standard Model, and Astroparticle and Cosmology issues. The divison is led by R. Escribano and its work comprises three main lines of research:

    Standard Model Physics and Flavor Physics (in and beyond the Standard Model)

    Working on non-perturbative aspects of QCD, quarkonium physics, and heavy-flavor physics: rare B meson decays and CP violation.

    Recent highlights include the work on the theoretical framework underpinning the so called B-flavour anomalies, a new hyperasymptotic approximation to the operator product expansion, and the precise determination of the strong coupling constant below the charm threshold.

    This research line is led by J. Matias.

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    Beyond the Standard Model physics

    Working on the most intriguing questions in particle physics: the origin of the flatness and largeness of the universe, the origin of baryons and dark matter, the smallness of the Higgs mass (the hierarchy problem), or the smallness of the theta-term (the strong CP problem).

    The group has presented several novel theoretical scenarios addressing these questions that have motivated many experimental searches. They are also known for their work on more theoretical aspects, like the use of the AdS/CFT correspondence to obtain properties of strongly-coupled system.

    This research line is led by A. Pomarol.

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    Astroparticle Physics and Cosmology,

    Working on dark energy, dark matter models, early-universe cosmology and on, arguably, the most enigmatic of the fundamental forces — gravity.

    Group members have made important contributions to scenarios where gravity is modified at large distances and to Lorentz-violating scenarios of quantum gravity. The group has an extended research record on axion physics, from both the phenomenology and theoretical sides. More recently, the group is contributing to primordial black hole physics, ultra-light dark matter scenarios and gravitational-wave physics from the fundamental physics perspective.

    This research line is led by O. Pujolàs.

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  • Group Members

    Theory Division

    Staff Researcher

    • Diego Blas

      Diego Blas

    • Rafel Escribano

      Rafel Escribano

    • Pere Masjuan

      Pere Masjuan

    • Eduard Masso

      Eduard Masso

    • Joaquim Matias

      Joaquim Matias

    • Antoni Méndez

      Antoni Méndez

    • Ramon Pascual

      Ramon Pascual

    • Santi Peris

      Santi Peris

    • Antonio Pineda

      Antonio Pineda

    • Àlex Pomarol

      Àlex Pomarol

    • Oriol Pujolàs

      Oriol Pujolàs

    • Mariano Quirós

      Mariano Quirós

    • Andrea Wulzer

      Andrea Wulzer

    Postdoc Researcher

    • Aritra Biswas

      Aritra Biswas

    • Mario Herrero

      Mario Herrero

    • Teng Ma

      Teng Ma

    • Alejandro Miranda

      Alejandro Miranda

    • Fabrizio Rompineve

      Fabrizio Rompineve

    • Evangelos Sfakianakis

      Evangelos Sfakianakis

    • Rodrigo Vicente

      Rodrigo Vicente

    • George  Zahariade

      George Zahariade

    • Ricardo Zambujal

      Ricardo Zambujal

    PhD Student

    • Cristian Alarcon

      Cristian Alarcon

    • Yann Cado

      Yann Cado

    • Clara Fernández

      Clara Fernández

    • Silvia Gasparotto

      Silvia Gasparotto

    • Angel Gil

      Angel Gil

    • Camilo Rojas

      Camilo Rojas

    • Emilio Royo

      Emilio Royo

    • Lindber Salas

      Lindber Salas

    • Francesco Sciotti

      Francesco Sciotti

    • Fabio Van Dissel

      Fabio Van Dissel

  • Publications

    Theory Division

  • Group News

    New Publication

    New COVID group paper

    January 25, 2023

    Stochastic simulation of successive waves of COVID-19 in the province of Barcelona has been published in the Infectious Disease Modelling journal by the IFAE COVID grup in collaboration with Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics (CED) and the Internet Research Center (i2CAT).

    Award

    Diego Blas awarded the Buchalter Cosmology Prize

    January 12, 2023

    The Buchalter Cosmology 2022 Second Prize was awarded to Diego Blas and his collaborator Alexander Jenkins (UCL), for their work entitled “Bridging the μHz gap in the gravitational-wave landscape with binary resonance ” published in Physical Review Letters.

    New Member

    New Member in the Theory group

    November 2, 2022

    Alejandro Miranda. has joined the Theory Division as a postdoctoral researcher.

    New Member

    New member in the Theory Division

    October 5, 2022

    Andrea Wulzer has joined the Theory Division at IFAE as ICREA Research Professor.

    New Member

    New member in the Theory Group

    September 14, 2022

    Aritra Biswas has just joined the Theory Division as postdoc.

    New Publication

    New theory paper on axions

    June 8, 2022

    Do direct detection experiments constrain axionlike particles coupled to electrons? by Ricardo Z. Ferreira and collaborators has been published at Physical Review Letters.