The Jefferson Lab Theory Center pursues frontline research in all areas of QCD and hadron physics, commits to the lab mission to provide the theoretical underpinnings of its experimental program, and develops the theoretical tools necessary to extract physics knowledge from the current and future experimental data. Through expertise across a broad range of nuclear physics, Theory Center staff members provide leadership for national and international nuclear physics research efforts.
The Theory Center's current research focuses on the following thrust areas:
- Hadron spectroscopy from lattice QCD;
- Application of analytical methods to hadron spectroscopy (JPAC);
- Partonic structure of hadrons and nuclei;
- Hadron & nuclear structure from lattice QCD;
- Hadron & nuclear structure and effective field theories;
- Structure and electroweak response of nuclei.
In addition to these main thrust areas, the Theory Center also conducts supporting research in areas such as:
- Physics beyond the Standard Model;
- Artificial intelligence & machine learning;
- Quantum information science & quantum computing.
The Theory Center's research reflects the mission of the newly upgraded 12 GeV experimental program at Jefferson Lab, through a combination of a small core of dedicated lab staff members and a larger body of researchers with joint and bridged appointments at collaborating universities, in addition to active postdocs and students from Jefferson Lab and neighboring universities. All of the Center's success is supported and enhanced by members of Jefferson Lab's High Performance Computing group that ensure theory is always at the forefront in utilizing new computing technologies. In all aspects, the Theory Center is a coherent and integrated part of Jefferson Lab's science program.