Marcela Carena
Encyclopedia
Marcela Carena is a senior theoretical physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
in 1993–95 and was awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship in 1996. She was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society
in 2002.
Carena is both a senior scientist at Fermilab
and a professor in the Physics Department and the Enrico Fermi Institute
at the University of Chicago
.
Dr. Carena is married to the theoretical physicist Carlos E.M. Wagner
.
and their manifestations in particle physics experiments. She explores possible connections between Higgs boson
, Supersymmetry
, Grand Unification, Flavor Physics and Dark Matter
. For example, she has developed a particle physics model which explains the matter – anti-matter asymmetry of the universe (also known as baryogenesis
). This model posits key super-symmetric particles, such as a light stop (scalar top) quark, as well as a relatively light Higgs boson. The LHC
experiments should be able to test this model definitively.
Carena works closely with experimental physicists. Her interest in experimental tests of theoretical models started with the e+e- LEP experiments at CERN, and include now the proton anti-proton experiments at the Tevatron
and the proton-proton experiments at the LHC
. Her goal is to develop experimental tests of the latest theoretical ideas for the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking, which is purported to be responsible for the masses of the fundamental particles. Recently she has demonstrated the complementary interplay of direct searches for Dark Matter
and searches for Higgs bosons in collider experiments.
(APS) and a member of the APS Committee on International Scientific Affairs. She is a former member of the Executive Committee for the APS Division of Particles and Fields (DPF) and a former chair of the DPF Nominating Committee. She served on the Particles Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) of the U.S. DOE
/NSF
High Energy Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP).
Carena originated a visitor program which brings students from Latin America to Fermilab
so that they can pursue research projects with Fermilab theoretical physicists as part of their graduate education.
Carena frequently delivers public lectures in conjunction with professional workshops in the Fermilab area and elsewhere. She was featured in the 2008 documentary film The Atom Smashers.
Background and education
Carena received her diploma in Physics from the Instituto Balseiro of Bariloche, Argentina in 1985, and her Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Hamburg in 1989. She was a John Stuart Bell Fellow at CERNCERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
in 1993–95 and was awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship in 1996. She was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society
APS
-Education:* Army Public School, group of Army schools in India under AWES* APS Netherlands, or APS International, a Dutch educational non-governmental organization* Abbottabad Public School and College...
in 2002.
Carena is both a senior scientist at Fermilab
Fermilab
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory , located just outside Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a US Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics...
and a professor in the Physics Department and the Enrico Fermi Institute
Enrico Fermi Institute
The Institute for Nuclear Studies was founded September, 1945 as part of the University of Chicago with Samuel King Allison as director. On November 20, 1955 it was renamed The Enrico Fermi Institute for Nuclear Studies...
at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
.
Dr. Carena is married to the theoretical physicist Carlos E.M. Wagner
Carlos E.M. Wagner
Carlos Wagner is a particle physicist. He specializes in theoretical physics, elementary particles and supersymmetric theories. He currently works for the High Energy Physics division of University of Chicago’s Argonne National Laboratory and is also a professor at the Physics Department of the...
.
Research
Carena's research is focused on models of new physics beyond the Standard ModelStandard Model
The Standard Model of particle physics is a theory concerning the electromagnetic, weak, and strong nuclear interactions, which mediate the dynamics of the known subatomic particles. Developed throughout the mid to late 20th century, the current formulation was finalized in the mid 1970s upon...
and their manifestations in particle physics experiments. She explores possible connections between Higgs boson
Higgs boson
The Higgs boson is a hypothetical massive elementary particle that is predicted to exist by the Standard Model of particle physics. Its existence is postulated as a means of resolving inconsistencies in the Standard Model...
, Supersymmetry
Supersymmetry
In particle physics, supersymmetry is a symmetry that relates elementary particles of one spin to other particles that differ by half a unit of spin and are known as superpartners...
, Grand Unification, Flavor Physics and Dark Matter
Dark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
. For example, she has developed a particle physics model which explains the matter – anti-matter asymmetry of the universe (also known as baryogenesis
Baryogenesis
In physical cosmology, baryogenesis is the generic term for hypothetical physical processes that produced an asymmetry between baryons and antibaryons in the very early universe, resulting in the substantial amounts of residual matter that make up the universe today.Baryogenesis theories employ...
). This model posits key super-symmetric particles, such as a light stop (scalar top) quark, as well as a relatively light Higgs boson. The LHC
LHC
LHC may refer to:* Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator and collider located on the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, SwitzerlandLHC also may refer to:* La hora Chanante, a Spanish comedy television show...
experiments should be able to test this model definitively.
Carena works closely with experimental physicists. Her interest in experimental tests of theoretical models started with the e+e- LEP experiments at CERN, and include now the proton anti-proton experiments at the Tevatron
Tevatron
The Tevatron is a circular particle accelerator in the United States, at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory , just east of Batavia, Illinois, and is the second highest energy particle collider in the world after the Large Hadron Collider...
and the proton-proton experiments at the LHC
LHC
LHC may refer to:* Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator and collider located on the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva, SwitzerlandLHC also may refer to:* La hora Chanante, a Spanish comedy television show...
. Her goal is to develop experimental tests of the latest theoretical ideas for the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking, which is purported to be responsible for the masses of the fundamental particles. Recently she has demonstrated the complementary interplay of direct searches for Dark Matter
Dark matter
In astronomy and cosmology, dark matter is matter that neither emits nor scatters light or other electromagnetic radiation, and so cannot be directly detected via optical or radio astronomy...
and searches for Higgs bosons in collider experiments.
Professional activities
Carena is a General Councillor of the American Physical SocietyAmerican Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
(APS) and a member of the APS Committee on International Scientific Affairs. She is a former member of the Executive Committee for the APS Division of Particles and Fields (DPF) and a former chair of the DPF Nominating Committee. She served on the Particles Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5) of the U.S. DOE
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
/NSF
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
High Energy Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP).
Carena originated a visitor program which brings students from Latin America to Fermilab
Fermilab
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory , located just outside Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a US Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics...
so that they can pursue research projects with Fermilab theoretical physicists as part of their graduate education.
Carena frequently delivers public lectures in conjunction with professional workshops in the Fermilab area and elsewhere. She was featured in the 2008 documentary film The Atom Smashers.