Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics

This article is about the research institute. For the skeptical events, see Skeptics in the Pub.

Not to be confused with SLAC Theory Group.

The Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics (SITP) is a research institute within the Physics Department at Stanford University. Led by 16 physics faculty members, the institute conducts research in high energy and condensed matter theoretical physics.

Research

Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics

Research type	theoretical physics particle physics cosmology condensed matter physics
Director	Shamit Kachru
Faculty	Renata Kallosh Andrei Linde Stephen Shenker Eva Silverstein Leonard Susskind
Location	Palo Alto, California, United States
Affiliations	Stanford University
Nobel laureates	Robert Laughlin

Research within SITP includes a strong focus on fundamental questions about the new physics underlying the Standard Models of particle physics and cosmology, and on the nature and applications of our basic frameworks (quantum field theory and string theory) for attacking these questions.

Principal areas of research include:^[1]

• Biophysics
• Condensed matter theory
• Cosmology
• Formal theory
• Physics beyond the standard model
• "Precision frontiers"
• Quantum computing
• Quantum gravity

Central questions include:

• What governs particle theory beyond the scale of electroweak symmetry breaking?
• How do string theory and holography resolve the basic puzzles of general relativity, including the deep issues arising in black hole physics and the study of cosmological horizons?
• Which class of models of inflationary cosmology captures the physics of the early universe, and what preceded inflation?
• Can physicists develop new techniques in quantum field theory and string theory to shed light on mysterious phases arising in many contexts in condensed matter physics (notably, in the high temperature superconductors)? ^[2]

Faculty

Current faculty include:^[3]

• Savas Dimopoulos, theorist focusing on physics beyond the standard model; winner of Sakurai Prize
• Sebastian Doniach, condensed matter physicist
• Daniel Fisher, biophysicist^[4]
• Surya Ganguli, theoretical neuroscientist^[5]
• Peter Graham, winner of 2017 New Horizons Prize^[6]
• Sean Hartnoll, AdS/CFT, winner of New Horizons Prize^[7]
• Patrick Hayden, quantum information theorist^[8]
• Shamit Kachru, string theorist; Stanford Physics Department chair
• Renata Kallosh, noted string theorist
• Vedika Khemani, condensed matter theorist^[9]
• Steven Kivelson, condensed matter theorist
• Robert Laughlin, Nobel Laureate known for work on fractional quantum Hall effect
• Andrei Linde, cosmologist and winner of Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics
• Xiaoliang Qi, quantum gravity and quantum information^[10]
• Srinivas Raghu, condensed matter theorist^[11]
• Leonardo Senatore, cosmologist and winner of New Horizons prize in physics^[12]
• Stephen Shenker, string theorist
• Eva Silverstein, cosmologist, string theorist, and recipient of MacArthur "Genius grant" award
• Douglas Stanford, quantum gravity theorist^[13]
• Leonard Susskind, string theorist known for string landscape; popular science book author