• Theoretical Condensed-Matter Physics
• Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics
• Astrophysics and General Relativity
• Experimental Elementary Particle Physics
• Accelerator Physics
• Experimental Condensed-Matter Physics
• Biological Physics
• Multidisciplinary Research
• Major Research Facilities
• Resources for Researchers

B.Sc. Physics, 1993, Eotvos University, Budapest, Hungary. Ph.D. Physics, 1997, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Miller Fellow, UC Berkeley, 1997-1999. J. Robert Oppenheimer Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1999-2001. Assistant Professor, Physics, Cornell University, 2002-2007. Associate Professor, Physics, Cornell University, 2007-present. DOE Outstanding Junior Investigator, 2001-2007.

Research Areas
Elementary particle physics, quantum field theory

Current Research

My research is in the field of elementary particle theory, focusing on physics beyond the standard model. The next round of collider experiments are expected to shed light on some of the deepest mysteries of particle  physics, for example on the origin of mass, and the origin of different scales in physics. The goal of my research is to understand what the plausible theories for physics beyond the standard model are, and what their experimental consequences would be. I am currently focusing on two possible directions. The first is theories with extra spatial dimensions, which could lead to new mechanisms for electroweak symmetry breaking. The second direction is supersymmetry, which is a new form of symmetries that would relate fermionic and bosonic particles to each other, and resulting in the most elegant extensions of the standard model.

Graduate Students
David Curtin, Johannes Heinonen and Philip Tanedo

Spotlight

Finding the mechanism responsible for breaking electroweak symmetry is a current focus of Maxim Perelstein, assistant professor of physics. He also investigates topics in theoretical cosmology, particularly theoretical models for dark energy, dark matter, and inflation. Perelstein's interests lie in constructing new models of electroweak symmetry breaking, and in devising strategies for testing them experimentally. His work is complemented by related experiments planned for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.

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