Research
The research focus at the Centre is Nuclear Physics in a broad sense and related areas. Specifically, Nuclear Structure and Nuclear Reactions, Quantum Chromodynamics and Hadron Physics, Physics of Matter under Extreme Conditions and Ultra-relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions, with related areas including topics in Astrophysics, Particle Physics, Condensed Matter Physics, Many-Body Theory, Bose-Einstein Condensation, and Computational Physics.
Computational modelling represents an effective alternative way to purely analytical or experimental research. This approach is particularly suitable in condensed matter and materials science, where the development and implementation of new methods are currently required to investigate without loss of accuracy phenomena that span several orders of magnitude in time and length scales. ECT* researchers utilize computational approaches ranging from (i) ab-initio methods for solving many-body problems to (ii) Monte Carlo simulations for charge-transport in both organic and inorganic media, and, finally, to (iii) classical and ab-initio molecular dynamics. ECT* focuses on the application of these approaches to fundamental problems, such as the study of electron-matter interaction, degenerate Fermi gases, superconductivity, carbon-based materials, and of the nucleosynthesis of the elements in the stars.
ECT* is registered as a European Research Infrastructure, and it is an institutional member of NuPECC, the ESF Associated Nuclear Physics European Collaboration Committee.