The Astroparticle Physics Curriculum
Astroparticle Physics, an interdisciplinary field merging astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics, aims at addressing fundamental issues such as the origin and the evolution of the universe. The field has witnessed in the recent years a rapid growth, also in connection to the wealth of new data and the rich experimental program in progress.
Astroparticle Physics represents one of the preeminent interests of the International School for Advanced Studies (ISAS/SISSA) in Trieste. In the context of the interdisciplinary environment provided by SISSA, both the Astrophysics and Particle Physics sectors are very active in the field. Astroparticle Physics has also been promoted with the launch of the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (JCAP, the highest impact factor journal in the field in 2004). Recently, a new PhD program entirely devoted to astroparticle physics has been activated as a joint initiative of the Astrophysics and Particle Physics sectors.
The curriculum consists of 3-4 years of study and research. During the first year, the students are offered a number of courses covering a wide spectrum of topics and undergo examination on a selection of them. By the beginning of the second year they untertake a research project under the supervision of one or more sissa staff. The main reaserch lines include: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, Neutrinos, Cosmic Microwave Background, Quantum Gravity and Gravitation Theory. The students will benefit from the wide expertise in the Astrophysics and Particle Physics sectors, ranging from fundamental interactions and their cosmological implications, brane cosmology, particle astrophysics, to galaxy formation and dynamics, supernovae, black holes, AGNs, gamma-ray bursts. They will also benefit from the connection with ICTP.