Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics

Our research includes a strong focus on fundamental questions about the new physics underlying the Standard Models of particle physics, cosmology, and gravity; and the nature and applications of our basic frameworks (quantum field theory and string theory) for attacking these questions. Our research also includes a major emphasis on the novel phenomena in condensed matter physics that emerge in systems with many degrees of freedom.

News Spotlight

Faculty

Physicists Observe ‘Unobservable’ Quantum Phase Transition

Measurement and entanglement both have a “spooky” nonlocal flavor to them. Now physicists are harnessing that nonlocality to probe the spread of quantum information and control it.

Photo by Zhenhua Wang

Stephen Shenker and Leonard Susskind Awarded 2023 Dirac Medal

The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) has awarded its 2023 Dirac Medal to four physicists who have made wide-ranging contributions to string theory.

Photo by Alexander Nie

Postdocs

Quantum Complexity Shows How to Escape Hawking’s Black Hole Paradox

Inside of a black hole, the two theoretical pillars of 20th-century physics appear to clash. Now a group of young physicists think they have resolved the conflict by appealing to the central pillar of the new century — the physics of quantum information.