Laboratoire de Physique de Clermont

Created in 1995, the Theory Pole is composed of four permanent members, both CNRS researchers, and professors at the UBP, and two postdoctoral researchers.

The scientific research topics of the team have evolved from hadronic physics (QCD and relativistic few body systems) and pluridisciplinary physics (percolation models applied to biomaterials), to being currently focused on particle physics : Field Theory, Standard Model and New Physics, as well as Astroparticle Physics. Our research aims at addressing several open questions

• How are strongly interacting particles (quarks and gluons) confined in mesons and baryons ?
• What is the origin of electroweak symmetry breaking ?
• What is the nature of neutrinos ? Which is the mechanism responsible for their mass ?
• Why is the Universe dominated by matter ? What was the mechanism responsible for baryogenesis ?
• What is the nature of dark matter ?

The Theory pole members contribute to the local scientific animation, and belong to the organising committees of a large number of national and international meetings (Schools, Workshops, Conferences), being also engaged in several Outreach activities ; they further hold numerous scientific and academic responsibilities (in national and international committees and boards).

Job offer : Postdoc in Theoretical Particle Physics at the LPC (fall 2017 : detailed info)

• Field Theory : field theory on the light front and finite field theories (based for instance on the Taylor-Lagrange renormalisation scheme). Application to physical observables in 3+1 dimensions and perturbative computation of radiative corrections to the Higgs boson mass.
  
• Standard Model of Strong and Electroweak interactions : Lattice QCD
  
  • Semi-leptonic decays of B-mesons into the first orbital excitations of D-mesons
  • Computation of the renormalisation factor of local and non-local operators
  • Running of the strong coupling ; computation of Wilson coefficients on the lattice

• Standard Model of Strong and Electroweak interactions : Precision tests (in the framework of the CKMFitter Collaboration)
  

• Beyond the Standard Model : Searches for new physics
• Direct searches of supersymmetric extensions of the SM (Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric SM at the LHC - extended Higgs sector, difficult search scenarios)
• Indirect searches - Heavy flavour physics (B to Kstar, B to mumu, ...) ; Impact of new states (SUSY) for Higgs properties ; Lepton flavour violation (low-energies and collider signatures)

• Beyond the Standard Model : sterile fermions (neutrino mass generation, lepton properties, rare decays)
  

• Dark Matter : New physics candidates, constraints on SUSY models (relic density, prospects for detection) ; Indirect dark matter detection (extragalactic gamma-ray background)
  

• Furthermore, the Theory Pole has also contributed in the field of theoretical approaches to percolation, in close connection to biomaterial activities carried in the "Physics for health and environment" Pole.
  

• Gabriela Bailas (Ph.D. student, IN2P3)
• Jean-François Mathiot (CNRS research director)
• Vincent Morénas (Professor, Univ. Blaise Pascal)
• Jean Orloff (Professor, Univ. Blaise Pascal)
• Ana M. Teixeira (CNRS researcher)

VISITORS

• Vladimir Karmanov, Alexander Smirnov (Lebedev Institute, Moscow) : Field theory on the light front
• Damir Becirevic, Benoit Blossier (LPT-Orsay) : Heavy flavours, Lattice QCD
• Asmaa Abada (LPT-Orsay) : Lepton flavours, sterile neutrinos

FORMER MEMBERS

• Valentina De Romeri (Postdoctoral fellow, EU ITN "Invisibles" Network, 2013-2015)
• Antoine Gérardin (Postdoctoral fellow, IN2P3, 2014-2015)
• Mariam Atoui (Ph.D. student, 2010-2013)
• Farvah Nazila Mahmoudi (MdC-UBP, 2008-2014)
• Hubert Mély (Ph.D. student, 2008-2011)
• Bruno Mutet (Postdoctoral fellow, 2010-2011)
• Siavash Neshatpour (Ph.D. student, 2009-2013)
• Natalia Tsirova (Postdoctoral fellow, 2008-2010)
• Savvas Zafeiropoulos (Postdoctoral fellow, 2013-2014)

• Member (appointed) of the CNRS 01 national committee
• Director of the regional "Maison pour la science" (Auvergne)

• Member (elected, reserve) of the 29th section of the CNU (Conseil National des Universités)
• Member of the UBP Physics Department Council
• Responsible for the physics part of the "Sciences-Langues" undergraduate studies at the UBP
• President of the local French Physical Society section (SFP-Auvergne)

• President of the 29th section of the CNU (Conseil National des Universités)
• Vice-president for Physics of the Permanent Conference of the CNU - CPCNU
• Member of the UBP Physics Department Council
• Member of the UBP Physics Department Pedagogical Commission
• President of the Scientific Council of the LPC

• Member (elected) of the LPC Council

• "Rencontres de Moriond - Electroweak session”, La Thuile, Italy (J. Orloff, organising committee).
• “Cargèse International Summer School in High Energy Physics", Cargèse, France (J. Orloff, organising committee).
• “École d’été de physique e2ϕ”, Clermont-Ferrand, 25-28 August 2014 (Local organising committee : V. Morénas-president, J.-F. Mathiot).
• “Invisibles Workshop 2014”, Institut des Cordeliers, Paris, 14-18 July 2014 (A. M. Teixeira, V. De Romeri, organising committee).
• “Invisibles School 2014”, Château de Buton, Gif-sur-Yvette, 8-13 July 2014 (A. M. Teixeira, V. De Romeri, organising committee).
• “GdR Neutrino" Plenary meeting at Clermont-Ferrand, LPC, 9-10 June 2015 (V. De Romeri, J. Orloff, A. M. Teixeira, organising committee).
• “GdR Terascale" Plenary meeting at Clermont-Ferrand, LPC, 23-25 April 2012 (J. Orloff, A. M. Teixeira, organising committee).
• “Rencontres de Physique des Particules – RPP2011”, LPC, 13-14 January 2011 (J.-F. Mathiot, J. Orloff, V. Morénas, A. M. Teixeira, organising committee).

Postdoctoral position at the Theory Group of the LPC-Clermont.

Applications are invited for a two-year postdoctoral position at the Theory Group of the Laboratoire de Physique de Clermont-Ferrand (LPC).

The fellowship is funded by the CNRS IN2P3 (Institut National de Physique Nucleaire et de Physique des Particules), for a duration of two years, starting in the Fall 2017 (no later than 01/10/2017). The appointment is foreseen in the area of particle physics phenomenology ; applicants with an expertise on BSM phenomenology and flavour physics (leptons & quarks) as well as neutrino physics, are invited to apply.

The LPC Theory group research interests include Physics Beyond the Standard Model, flavour physics (leptons and quarks), Lattice QCD and Field Theory. The Laboratory also has teams working in experimental physics, including ATLAS, ALICE, LHCb and LSST ; strong connections exist between the Theory Group and experimental physicists, in particular members working on LHCb, Future Colliders, and in the CKMFitter Collaboration.

Applicants should have their PhD at the time of starting date ; although not required, preference will be given to candidates with postdoctoral experience.

Candidates should provide a Curriculum Vitae, a List of Publications and a brief Research Statement (all in a single pdf file, LastName_FirstName.pdf).

Applications should be sent to postdoc.th-lpc@clermont.in2p3.fr

Applicants should also arrange for three letters of recommendation to be sent to the above address.

Priority will be given to applications received before the deadline of January 6, 2017, but late applications will be still considered until the position has been filled.