Department of Particle Physics 

Itzhak Tserruya, Head

The Department of Particle Physics is engaged in both experimental and theoretical research, in various directions. These include elementary particle physics, relativistic heavy ion physics, field theory, string theory, molecular physics, nuclear physics, plasma physics, and radiation detection physics.

O. Aharony 
ofer.aharony@weizmann.ac.il

Relations between field theories and string theories.

Non-perturbative effects and formulations of string theories.

Supersymmetric gauge theories.

Non-gravitational string theories.
O. Aharony, M. Berkooz, E. Silverstein

A. Breskin 
amos.breskin@weizmann.ac.il

Basic phenomena, related to radiation detection, including charge transport and multiplication in gases, photoemission and secondary electron emission.
A. Breskin, R. Chechik

Novel particle and photon detection techniques for particle physics, x-ray diffraction. Bio-medicine, surface analysis.
A. Breskin, R. Chechik

Digital mammography, early detection of cancer, radiation damage to DNA.
A. Breskin, R. Chechik

Y. Frishman 
yitzhak.frishman@weizmann.ac.il

From current to constituent quarks.
Y. Frishman, Marek Karliner

Non-abelian gauge theories.
Y. Frishman, Marek Karliner, Jacob Sonnenschein

Confinement and screening.
Y. Frishman, Jacob Sonnenschein

D. Gepner 
doron.gepner@weizmann.ac.il

Rational conformal field theory and solvable lattice models.

S. Gurvitz 
shmuel.gurvitz@weizmann.ac.il

Multi-dimensional tunnelling.
S. Gurvitz, W. Nazarewicz, K. Kato

1.  Two-potential approach to tunneling problems

2.  Cluster decay

3.  Complex scaling and the semi-classical approximation

4.  Modified tunneling Hamiltonian

Final state interaction in inclusive reactions.
S. Gurvitz, M. Traini

1.  Bjorken scaling and confinement

2.  Higher twist corrections to nucleon structure functions

Quantum transport in mesoscopic systems and the measurement problem.
S. Gurvitz, G. Berman, D. Mozyrsky

1.  Quantum rate equations for coherent transport

2.  Relaxation and dephasing in a qubit measurement

3.  Single-spin measurement and decoherence

4.  Zeno effect and quantum description of classical apparatus

M. Hass 
michael.hass@weizmann.ac.il

Nuclear polarization via multifoil techniques: signs of quadrupole moments and magnetic moments of exotic mirror nuclei.

Nuclear electromagnetic moments at high spin: nuclear shape determination and magnetic moments in the superdeformed region.

Remeasurement of the cross-section of the 7Be(p,g)8Be reaction, which is of critical importance in the solar-neutrino discrepancy.

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) measurements of nuclear reactions relevant to astrophysical processes.

U. Karshon 
uri.karshon@weizmann.ac.il

Heavy quark production at the HERA e-p collider.

Gluon density in the proton and partonic structure of the photon.

Tests of QCD dynamics in high energy e-p collisions.

M. Kirson 
michael.kirson@weizmann.ac.il

The shell model and interacting boson model for nuclei.

Theory and systematics of nuclear structure.

M. Kugler 
fhkugler@weizmann.ac.il

Physical properties of solitons solution.

Bundles of DNA Molecules.

Y. Maron 
yitzhak.maron@weizmann.ac.il

Dynamics of plasmas subjected to high energy deposition, shock waves, ionization fronts, kinetics and transport in nonequilibrium plasmas, magnetic field penetration, particle flows, turbulent electric fields, nonthermal electron energy distributions.
Y. Maron, V. Bernshtam, V. Fisher, Y. Ralchenko, A. Starobinets

Z-pinches and plasma switches, spectroscopic diagnostics of plasmas in the visible to x-ray region.
Y. Maron, V. Bernshtam, V. Fisher, Y. Ralchenko, A. Starobinets

Atomic calculations, cross sections and probabilities, field ionization, Stark and Zeeman effects.
Y. Maron, V. Bernshtam, V. Fisher, Y. Ralchenko, A. Starobinets

G. Mikenberg 
giora.mikenberg@weizmann.ac.il

Search for the standard-model and SUSY Higgs-bosons at LEP.
G. Mikenberg, E. Duchovni, E. Gross, L. Levinson, D. Lellouch

Detector development and study of physics for LHC.
G. Mikenberg, E. Duchovni, E. Gross, L. Levinson, D. Lellouch

Search for Supersymmetry at LEP.
G. Mikenberg, E. Duchovni, E. Gross, L. Levinson, D. Lellouch

Search for Higgs bosons and SUSY particles at LHC.
G. Mikenberg, E. Duchovni, E. Gross, L. Levinson, D. Lellouch

Trigger and data acquisition for LHC experiments.
G. Mikenberg, E. Duchovni, E. Gross, L. Levinson, D. Lellouch

Reconfigurable computing.
G. Mikenberg, E. Duchovni, E. Gross, L. Levinson, D. Lellouch

Y. Nir 
yosef.nir@weizmann.ac.il

CP violation.
Y. Nir, Quinn, Grossman

Neutrino masses.
Y. Nir, Gonzalez-Garcia

Dynamical Supersymmetry breaking.
Y. Nir, Dine, Shadmi

Particle cosmology
Y. Nir, Berkooz, Waxman, Volansky

I. Tserruya 
itzhak.tserruya@weizmann.ac.il

R&D of an HBD (Hadron Blind Detector) for the PHENIX experiment
I. Tserruya, I. Ravinovich

Electron pair production in relativistic heavy ion collisions: search for quark-gluon plasma and chiral symmetry restoration.
I. Tserruya, I. Ravinovich

Study of ultra-relativistic heavy-ion collisions using the CERES detector at CERN and the PHENIX detector at RHIC (Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collider) at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
I. Tserruya, I. Ravinovich

D. Zajfman 
daniel.zajfman@weizmann.ac.il

Molecular astrophysics.
D. Zajfman, O. Heber, Z. Vager

Cooling of molecular ions, ion trap dynamics.
D. Zajfman, O. Heber, Z. Vager

Molecular physics using storage rings.
D. Zajfman, O. Heber, Z. Vager

Molecular structure using Coulomb explosion imaging and laser-induced photodetachment.
D. Zajfman, O. Heber, Z. Vager