Position:  Interim Chair and Professor

Educational Background: B.S., Universidad de Cuyo, Argentina, Ph.D., 1985, University of Munich, Germany

Research Interests: Theory and Phenomenology of Elementary Particles

My research is mainly focused on theoretical particle physics. One of the main areas of my research is the physics of strong interactions, especially those aspects which can be studied using effective field theories (Chiral Perturbation Theory in particular) which are fully consistent with the underlying fundamental theory of strong interactions, namely Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD).

In recent times I have been applying these techniques to the physics of mesons containing a heavy quark, to pion production in proton-proton collisions near threshold, to the strangeness content of meson exchange currents, and to various weak decays of K mesons where strong interactions play an important role. I am also investigating various aspects of the large Nc limit of QCD in baryons; this is an ideal simplifying framework to extract general properties of baryons, baryonic resonances and their interactions. I also have current research interests in high energy particle theory; in particular, I am interested in possible forms of baryon number violation in supersymmetric extensions of the Standard Model of electroweak interactions; this is a topic of great interest in connection with the search of mechanisms of baryogenesis in the early universe.

In teaching I strive to communicate rigorous theoretical and ample phenomenological background while emphasizing physical intuition. I consider that Ph.D. students should develop personal initiative, intellectual independence, self reliance and a great enthusiasm for physics early in their studies. With these aims, I offer course activities which enhance such development.