MIT Center for Theoretical Physics – a Leinweber Institute

A research center of the Department of Physics and an affiliate of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science.

Our Research

We are a unified research and teaching center focused on fundamental physics. Our activities range from string theory and cosmology at the highest energies down through unification and beyond-the-standard-model physics, through the standard model, to QCD, hadrons, quark matter, and nuclei at the low energy scale. Theoretical research in the Center complements and connects to experimental work by the Nuclear and Particle Experiment division in the Laboratory for Nuclear Science, theoretical work in other divisions—including condensed matter theory, astrophysics theory, and theoretical work in the physics of living systems group—and quantum information science across MIT.

Recent Publications

  • Statistics of Base Polytopes in F-theory
    Washington Taylor, Yi-Nan Wang and Yihang Yu
    September 16, 2025, arXiv:2509.13252
    Abstract: (click to show)
  • How Theory-Informed Priors Affect DESI Evidence for Evolving Dark Energy
    Michael W. Toomey, Gabriele Montefalcone, Evan McDonough and Katherine Freese
    September 16, 2025, arXiv:2509.13318
    Abstract: (click to show)
  • Gluon splitting rates in an anisotropic plasma in the AMY formalism
    Florian Lindenbauer
    September 11, 2025, arXiv:2509.09897
    Abstract: (click to show)
  • Constraining the Resolution Length of Quark-Gluon Plasma with New Jet Substructure Measurements
    Arjun Srinivasan Kudinoor, Daniel Pablos and Krishna Rajagopal
    September 10, 2025, arXiv:2509.08881
    Abstract: (click to show)