Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics

Eli Waxman, Head


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


O. Aharony

Strongly coupled field theories
O. Aharony, D. Marolf, M. Rangamani, D. Tong, M. Berkooz, S. Yankielowicz

Effective actions on strings (in particular confining strings)
O. Aharony, Z. Komargodski, A. Schwimmer, M. Field, N. Klinghoffer

Gravity duals for branes ending on branes
O. Aharony, D. Kutasov, O. Lunin, J. Sonnenschein, S. Yankielowicz, M. Berkooz, R. Yacoby, I. Shamir

AdS/CFT correspondence and its generalizations
O. Aharony, J. Sonnenschein, S. Yankielowicz, A. Buchel, M. Berkooz

The Hagedorn and deconfinement phase transitions
O. Aharony, S. Minwalla, M. Van Raamsdonk, J. Marsano, K. Papadodimas, S. Hartnoll, A. Buchel, R. Yacoby


T. Alexander

Stars very near massive black holes.

The Galactic Center.

Gravitational Lensing.

Active Galactic Nuclei.


M. Berkooz

Theoretical high energy physics

  1.  String theory, Field theory, Gravity

  2.  Particle Phenomenology

  3.  Conformal field theory applications in condensed matter systems

  4.  Quantum information and black holes


A. Breskin

Basic phenomena in Radiation Detection Physics
A. Breskin, R. Chechik

  1.  ionization and excitation in gases, solids and liquids

  2.  charge transport and multiplication in gas

  3.  photoemission and secondary electron emission from solids.

Novel radiation detection concepts
A. Breskin, R. Chechik

  1.  Gaseous electron multipliers: GEM, THGEM, MHSP etc

  2.  Charged-particle detectors for particle, astroparticle and nuclear physics; detectors for digital calorimetry

  3.  Gaseous photon detectors for UV and visible light, Cherenkov detectors and RICH

  4.  Detector concepts for x-ray and neutron imaging

  5.  Detectors for low-energy ions

  6.  Detector concepts for nanodosimetry

Early detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer
A. Breskin, R. Chechik, S. Shilstein, D. Vartsky (SOREQ NRC)


E. Duchovni

Search for Supersymmetry with the ATLAS detector at CERN

  1.  Inclusive Search

  2.  Study of Gauge Mediated symmetry breaking

  3.  Study of R-Parity violating models

  4.  Study of Anomaly Mediated Symmetry breaking

Search for Fermiofobc Higgs with the OPAL detector at CERN


A. Gal-Yam

Cosmic explosions

  1.  Core-collapse supernova explosions: their origins, nature, physics and population statistics

  2.  Thermonuclear supernova explosions (SNe Ia): their nature and rates

  3.  Gamma-Ray Bursts: their origin and relation to supernovae

  4.  New types of cosmic explosions

Wide-field variability surveys
A. Gal-Yam, S. Kulkarni, E. Ofek, (Caltech), M. Sullivan (UK), P. Mazzali (Germany/Italy), J-P Kneib (France)

  1.  The Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) - the next generation wide-field variability survey

  2.  Transients from the supernova Factory (SNF) - a pilot project for the PTF

  3.  Wide-field radio variability surveys


D. Gepner

Rational conformal field theory and solvable lattice models.


E. Gross

Higgs Physics with the ATLAS detector at the LHC
E. Gross, Students: Ohad Silbert and Ofer Vitells,Liron Barak

  1.  Search for Charged Higgs Boson

  2.  Search for Supersymmetric Higgs decaying into Taus

  3.  Higgs physics in general

Jets faking electrons with the ATLAS detector
E. Gross, Student: Ohad Silbert


S. Gurvitz

Multi-dimensional tunnelling.
S. Gurvitz, Xin-Qi Li, D. Sokolovski

  1.  Two-potential approach to tunneling problems

  2.  Cluster decay

  3.  Modified tunneling Hamiltonian

  4.  Tunneling of the Bose-Einstein Condensate

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, O. Entin-Wohlman, Xin-Qi Li, Wei-Min Zhang, D. Sokolovski

  1.  Quantum rate equations for coherent transport

  2.  Relaxation and dephasing in persistent current

  3.  Zeno effect and quantum description of classical apparatus


H. Harari

Neutrino Physics (Particle Physics, cosmology, astrophysics implications)

Patterns of quarks and leptons (masses, mixing, substructure)


M. Hass

Light rare-isotope beams for nuclear astrophysics, neutrino physics and fundamental interactions
M. Hass, Dr. Guy Ron, Hebrew Univresity, Dr. Dan Berkovits, Dr. Israel Mardor: Soreq Nuclear Research Centre. Dr. Oded Heber (WI)

  1.  Low-energy fusion reactions, relevant to the solar neutrino issue. Exeriments at the Van de Graaff accelerator of the Weizmann Institute

  2.  Explosive nucleo-synthesis scenraios and the nuclear reactions playing a role in these astrophysical sites; x-ray bursts, supernoave, rp-process reactions

  3.  Development of techniques and tools for light radioactive beam production for nuclear astrophysics and neutrino physics. Connection to the SPIRAL-II facility at GANIL (France) and the SARAF accelerator at NRC Soreq

  4.  Fundamental Insteraction studies using trapped radioactive nuclei


Y. Maron

Dynamics of plasmas, high-energy-density, plasmas, plasmas under pulsed magnetic fields, implications to fusion, transmission of high-current pulses, and space physics (in collaboration with the Technion, Holon Institute of Technology (Israel); Cornell University, NYU, Naval Research Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories (USA); University of Jena, University of Rostock, GSI (Germany)).
Y. Maron, V. Bernshtam, R. Doron, V. Fisher, E. Kroupp, E. Stambulchik , A. Starobinets, L. Weingarten

  1.  Z-pinches and plasma switches.

  2.  Magnetic field penetration into and acceleration of plasmas, relation to space physics.

  3.  Imploding plasma.

  4.  Kinetics and transport in non-equilibrium plasmas.

  5.  Energy conversion in transient plasmas.

  6.  Turbulent electric fields.

Development of novel spectroscopic diagnostic methods for determining the properties of the plasma and the electric and magnetic fields (in collaboration with University of Maryland, NIST (USA), Lebedev Physical Institute (Russia)).
Y. Maron, V. Bernshtam, R. Doron, V. Fisher, E. Kroupp, E. Stambulchik , A. Starobinets, L. Weingarten

  1.  Spectral line profiles (broadening, shifts, forbidden components, and polarization).

  2.  Spectral line intensities.

  3.  Spectroscopy of highly stripped, heavy ions.

  4.  Visible-UV, VUV, to X ray regions.

Colision-Radiative-modeling: arbitrary electron-energy distribution, multi-component plasma; atomic calculations of cross sections and probabilities (in collaboration with NIST (USA), Lebedev Physical Institute (Russia)).
Y. Maron, V. Bernshtam, V. Fisher, E. Stambulchik , A. Starobinets, L. Weingarten

Plasma correlation effects and their influence on spectral line shapes.
Y. Maron, E. Stambulchik, D.V. Fisher

Electron states in dense plasmas, effects of statistical weights, kinetic modeling.
Y. Maron, D.V. Fisher. V. Fisher

Stark and Zeeman effects, field ionization (in collaboration with University of Maryland, NIST (USA), University of Rostock (Germany)).
Y. Maron, E. Stambulchik, V. Bernshtam, V. Fisher, A. Starobinets

Measurements of magnetic fields in dense turbulent plasmas.
Y. Maron, E. Stambulchik, R. Doron, S. Tessarin, B. Rubinstein, D. Mikitchuk


G. Mikenberg

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


M. Milgrom

High energy astrophysics: x-ray sources, gamma-ray sources.

Departure from Newtonian dynamics as an explanation of the dark-matter problem in galactic systems.

Black holes at the centers of galaxies


A. Milov

Identified particle production in Heavy Ion Collisions with the PHENIX experiment at RHIC

Global Obsevrables of the Heavy Ion Collisions with the ATLAS detector at LHC


Y. Nir

Flavor at the LHC
Y. Nir, J. Feng, Y. Grossman, G. Hiller, Y. Hochberg, C. Lester, Y. Shadmi

Particle cosmology
Y. Nir, K. Blum, J. Feng, M. Losada

  1.  Electroweak baryogenesis

  2.  Leptogenesis

  3.  Asymmetric dark matter

Lepton flavor violation
Y. Nir, M.C. Gonzalez-Garcia, D. Grossman


G. Perez

What gives masses to the particles? We believe that it is related to electroweak symmetry breaking which raises the hierarchy problem, the huge gap between the weak and Planck scales. The LHC experiments will address these questions very soon. Recent cosmological-observation raised additional puzzles: What is the source of dark matter and energy? We explore experimental and theoretical methods to improve our knowledge regarding these issues.

  1.  A. Jenkins and G. Perez, 'Looking for Life in the Multiverse, 'Scientific American (01/2010).

  2.  K. Agashe, K. Blum, S.J. Lee and G. Perez, 'Astrophysical Implications of a Visible Dark Matter Sector from a Custodially Warped-GUT,' arXiv:0912.3070 [hep-ph].

  3.  A. Fitzpatrick, G. Perez and L. Randall, 'Flavor from Minimal Flavor Violation & a Viable Randall-Sundrum Model,' Phys. Rev. Lett., 100, 171604 (2008) [arXiv:0710.1869 [hep-ph]].

  4.  K. Agashe, A. Belyaev, T. Krupovnickas, G. Perez and J. Virzi, 'LHC signals from warped extra dimensions,' Phys. Rev. D 77, 015003 (2008) [arXiv:hep-ph/0612015].


I. Tserruya

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

R&D, construction and installation of an HBD (Hadron Blind Detector) for the PHENIX experiment at RHIC.
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


V. Usov

Physical processes in very strong magnetic fields.
V. Usov, A.E. Shabad

Physical processes in relativistic electron-positron plasma.
V. Usov, G.Z. Machabeli

The theory of nonthermal radiation from compact astronomical objects (pulsars, white dwarfs, gamma-ray bursters etc.).
V. Usov, A.K. Harding, D.B. Melrose, M. Milgrom, A.G. Muslimov, A.E. Shabad

Physical processes at the surface and astrophysical appearance of strange-quark-matter stars.
V. Usov, K.S. Cheng, T. Harko, M. Milgrom, F.Weber

Hydrodynamics and high-energy physics of colliding stellar winds in binary systems.
V. Usov, N.N. Pilyugin


E. Waxman

Theoretical astrophysics

HIgh energy astrophysics (gamma-ray bursts, relativistic plasmas...)

High energy neutrinos and cosmic-rays


D. Zajfman

Molecular astrophysics.
D. Zajfman, O. Heber

Cooling of molecular ions and clusters, ion trap dynamics.
D. Zajfman, O. Heber

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

Femtosecond laser photodynamics
D. Zajfman, Y. Silberberg, O. Heber