Peter Lepage

Overview

Quantum field theory; renormalization techniques and effective field theory, with applications in particle physics, condensed matter physics, and nuclear physics; numerical quantum field theory and lattice QCD; Standard Model physics; heavy-quark physics; high-precision atomic physics and QED; computational physics and physics pedagogy

Research Focus

QCD is the fundamental theory of quarks and gluons that explains the internal structure and interactions of protons, neutrons and other strongly interacting particles. A full solution of this theory relies upon numerical simulations. I am developing new techniques that have already made such simulations literally thousands of times faster, greatly extending the range of problems that can be studied. I am particularly interested in applications to the physics of hadrons containing heavy quarks. These advances rely upon renormalization techniques, especially effective field theories, that have many other applications in physics. I am pursuing new applications in high-precision atomic physics (QED), heavy-quark physics, nuclear physics, condensed-matter physics, and physics pedagogy.

Awards and Honors

Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, 1983; Fellow, American Physical Society, 1993; John Simon Guggenheim Fellow, 1996; American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2008; American Physical Society Outstanding Referee, 2009; National Science Board, 2013–2018; J.J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, 2016; National Academy of Sciences, 2022.

Professional Experience

Research Associate, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, 1978. Research Associate, Laboratory of Nuclear Studies, Cornell University, 1978-80. Assistant Professor, Physics, Cornell University, 1980-84. Associate Professor, Physics, Cornell University, 1984-89. Professor, Physics, Cornell University, 1989-present. Chair, Physics, Cornell University, 1999-2003. Acting Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Cornell University, 2003-2004. Harold Tanner Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Cornell University, 2004-2013. Director, Cornell's Active Learning Initiative, 2015-present.

Publications

 

1. Adaptive multidimensional integration: VEGAS enhanced, G. P. Lepage, J. Comput. Phys. 439 (2021) 110386.

2. Demographic gaps or preparation gaps? The large impact of incoming preparation on performance of students in introductory physics, S. Salehi, E. Burkholder, G.P. Lepage, S. Pollock, C. Wieman, Phys. Rev. Phys. Ed. Res. 15 (2), 020114 (2019).

3. High-precision quark masses and QCD coupling from nf = 4 lattice QCD, B. Chakraborty, C.T.H. Davies, B. Galloway, P. Knecht, J. Koponen, G.C. Donald, R.J. Dowdall, G.P. Lepage, C. McNeile, Phys. Rev. D91, 054508 (2015).
4. Highly improved staggered quarks on the lattice, with applications to charm physics, E. Follana, Q. Mason, C.T.H. Davies, K. Hornbostel, G.P. Lepage, J. Shigemitsu, H. Trottier, and K. Wong, Phys. Rev. D75, 054502 (2007).
5. High-precision lattice QCD confronts experiment, C. Davies, E. Follana, A. Gray, G.P. Lepage, Q. Mason, M. Nobes, J. Shigemitsu, H. Trottier, M. Wingate, C. Bernard, T. Burch, C. DeTar, S. Gottlieb, E. Gregory, U. Heller, J. Hetrick, J. Osborn, R. Sugar, and D. Toussaint, Phys. Ref. Lett. 92, 022001 (2004).
6. How to renormalize the Schrödinger Equation, G.P. Lepage, summer school lectures at the 8th Jorge Andre Swieca Summer School on Nuclear Physics (Brazil, 1997) [arXiv:nucl-th/9706029].
7. Rigorous QCD analysis of inclusive annihilation and production of heavy quarkonia, E. Braaten, G. Bodwin, and G.P. Lepage, Phys. Rev. D51, 1125 (1995).
8. What is renormalization?, G.P. Lepage, summer school lectures at TASI (Boulder, 1989) [arXiv:hep-ph/0506330].
9. Effective Lagrangians for Bound State Problems in QED, QCD, and other field theories, W.E. Caswell and G.P. Lepage, Phys. Lett. B167, 437 (1986).
10. Exclusive processes in perturbative QCD, G.P. Lepage and S.J. Brodsky, Phys. Rev. D22, 2157 (1980).