Research Areas

Our research covers a wide range of topics, from cosmology to high-energy and multi-messenger astrophysics, in collaboration with national and international research centers such as INFN, INAF, ASI, ESA, ESO, JAXA and NASA. The main activities include large-scale galaxy mapping and observations of the cosmic microwave background to study cosmic inflation, dark matter, dark energy, and the evolution of the Universe. These studies are essential for refining cosmological models and involve our participation in significant international projects such as Euclid, HST, JWST, LiteBIRD, The Simons Observatory, CMB-S4 e LSPE. In the fields of multi-messenger and high-energy astrophysics, we participate in missions like Insight-HXMT and HERMES-TP/SP and we are key members of the THESEUS mission concept aimed at studying gamma-ray bursts in synergy with future gravitational wave interferometers. We also take part in international projects such as ZTF, Vera Rubin Observatory e ENGRAVE exploring the transient sky and searching for electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational signals. Additional research activities include the development of advanced instrumentation and focusing systems for high-energy missions at our LARIX laboratory, alongside studies on galaxy formation and dark matter using gravitational lensing techniques.

Recent Pubblications

Contacts

Astrophysics:

• Formation and evolution of cosmic structures: Prof. Piero Rosati 
• High-energy astrophysics: Prof. Cristiano Guidorzi
• Experimental activities in high-energy astrophysics: Dr. Lisa Ferro - Prof. Piero Rosati 
• Multi-messenger astronomy: Dott. Mattia Bulla
• Physics and astrophysics of relativistic objects: Dott. Jorge Rueda

Cosmology:

• CMB experiments (LiteBIRD, ACT, SO, LSPE): Prof. Paolo Natoli - Prof. Luca Pagano
• Galaxy surveys (Euclid): Dr. Margherita Lembo - Dr. Mario Ballardini
• Particle cosmology in the primordial Universe: Dr. Martina Gerbino
• Inflation Physics: Dr. Mario Ballardini
• Fundamental physics with the CMB: Dr. Alessandro Gruppuso 

This research topic deals with the study and application of geophysical methods for characterisation and monitoring in the fields of engineering, environmental science, geology and archaeology at different scales of observation, from the laboratory to the field (superficial and deep). The geophysical methods studied range from electrical and electromagnetic to magnetic and seismic, with multidisciplinary applications. This line of research has mainly developed innovative studies with applications in:

• structural engineering (e.g.reinforced concrete building infrastructure, bridges, tunnels, underground cavities, roads, masonry, underground services)
• geological (active fault systems and complex geological structures)
• hydrogeological (groundwater and surface water in river and coastal contexts for interaction with saltwater intrusion; monitoring of river embankments; contaminated sites and landfills)
• archaeological and monumental heritage (buried archaeological structures in plains and mountain contexts, artefacts and buildings of historical and cultural value)
• agri-food sector (soil salinisation and soil moisture).

The research topic develops and integrates experimental laboratory tests (Applied Geophysics Laboratory) with ground investigations, combined with the development of data processing procedures and new exploratory methodologies adaptable to different application conditions. The research activities are supported by a network of national and international collaborations and private companies.

Contact person: Prof. Enzo Rizzo

In the Department, various interdisciplinary research lines address the complex challenges in the fields of environment, health, and energy, leveraging different applications of Physics to develop sustainable and innovative technologies and solutions in these fundamental sectors.
The expertise of the research group in Medical Physics spans several aspects of applications in diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, and biophysics of blood circulation. Our research activities include the development of innovative methods and technologies for radiology and the creation of wearable sensors for monitoring physiological parameters in telemedicine. This contribution to personalized and precision medicine also involves the implementation of computational techniques such as Monte Carlo simulations and artificial intelligence applications.
Research in Environmental Physics focuses on the use of gamma spectroscopy techniques via drones and aircraft to map radioactivity in various contexts, such as landfills and mining sites. Activities include the development of artificial intelligence algorithms and geostatistical methods applied to environmental monitoring. Collaborating with leading companies and institutions in the sector, we develop research projects aimed at safeguarding and efficiently managing natural resources in precision agriculture.
In the field of applied Physics for energy, research activities, conducted in close cooperation with numerous national companies, are mainly focused on developing innovative photovoltaic systems for architectural integration and agrivoltaics. The research group develops photovoltaic and photocatalytic systems based on semiconductor devices aimed at optimizing energy conversion and hydrogen production. Further research efforts focus on developing new materials for lithium-ion batteries based on nanostructured semiconductors.

Contacts
Prof. Angelo Taibi - Medical Physics
Prof. Fabio Mantovani - Environmental Physics
Prof. Donato Vincenzi - Physics for Energy

The Carbonate Research Group (GRC) focuses on detailed analyses of Phanerozoic carbonate and mixed systems, with particular attention to the reconstruction of depositional environments, facies analysis, and paleogeographic and paleoclimatic reconstructions. The group also works on creating high-resolution stratigraphic frameworks using classic stratigraphic techniques alongside geochemical and geophysical instrumentation. Additionally, the group is involved in geological mapping and reservoir rock analysis for land planning purposes and to better understand and utilize subsurface resources.

Contact persons: Prof. Piero Gianolla - Prof. Michele Morsilli - Prof. Gianluca Frija

The activities of the various groups are carried out within the context of international collaborations and focus on two main research themes: semiconductor physics and magnetism.  

• Semiconductor Physics. The research is conducted using cutting-edge fabrication and characterization techniques and targets applications ranging from charged particle channeling to gas sensing devices. Channeling using crystals bridges solid-state physics and high-energy physics, particularly in the area of particle accelerators. Its versatility enables new applications otherwise unattainable, fostering collaborations with high-energy physics experiments worldwide. Gas sensor devices, achieved through targeted nanoscale surface design of materials, are specifically aimed at applications in environmental monitoring, agri-food sectors, and medical diagnostics. The study focuses on understanding the solid-gas interactions at the interface. This research is supported by industrial and academic partners across Italy and Europe.
• Magnetism. Experimental research focuses on green and biocompatible hybrid magnetic systems, combining magnetic nanostructures (nanoparticles or thin films) with organic biopolymers. These systems are developed for applications in soft electronics, actuators, and biomedical devices. Research also extends to exploring nanomagnetic logic devices through the analysis of magnetization reversal in arrays of magnetic nanodots, as well as understanding stripe domains in ferromagnetic films. On the theoretical side, simulations and models are developed to understand magnetization dynamics within periodic nanostructured materials, including magnonic crystals, artificial spin ice, corrugated ferromagnetic films, and their hybrids. The goal is to control magnon propagation (the quanta of spin waves) at the nanoscale as alternatives to electronic current, thus contributing to the development of greener, portable, and multifunctional devices.

Contacts:
Sensors: Prof. Vincenzo Guidi -  Prof. Cesare Malagù - Dr. Barbara Fabbri - Dr. Giulia Zonta
Crystals: Dott. Andrea Mazzolari - Dr. Laura Bandiera - Dott. Marco Romagnoni
Magnetism: Prof. Diego Bisero - Prof. Lucia Del Bianco - Prof. Loris Giovannini - Prof. Federico Montoncello - Prof. Federico Spizzo

Research activity in Educational Physics involves both teaching and the didactics of physics as well as scientific communication, dissemination, and public engagement. These two research branches are united by innovative educational programs that bridge theoretical knowledge and real-world applications, which are more familiar to non-specialist audiences.
There are also numerous science outreach activities dedicated to the general public. Among these, an interdisciplinary initiative managed in collaboration with the Department of Architecture involves the Public Engagement project titled “Perceiving, Understanding, and Communicating the Historical Sites of Ferrara’s Meteorology through Multisensory Experience”. The goal is to allow a non-academic audience to "visit" the no longer existing Meteorological Observatory of Ferrara through a virtual reality system. The project includes the use of scientific instruments preserved in the Physical Sciences Instrument Collection to recreate the historic observatory using modern digital methodologies.

Contacts: Prof. Paolo Lenisa - Prof. Giuseppe Ciullo

Fundamental interactions physics deals with the study of the fundamental forces of nature that allow the description and/or prediction of physical phenomena across all distance and energy scales. Our Department hosts research groups involved in numerous international collaborations. Among these, LHCb at the LHC at CERN and BESIII at IHEP in Beijing focus on the research and study of the nature and properties of exotic and conventional particles, and CP violation processes.
Dark matter is the main focus of the XENON and BULLKID-DM experiments at the INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratories. The JEDI collaboration investigates new physics through the measurement of the electric dipole moment.
Neutrino oscillation phenomena are studied through participation in experiments such as JUNO (China) and DUNE (USA). The study of the internal and spin structure of nucleons and nuclei, through the realization of tomographic images with unprecedented precision, is the primary objective of the CLAS12 at the JLab (USA) and EPIC at the future EIC accelerator at BNL (USA).
Finally, research and development activities for new technologies in particle detectors and accelerators, together with the development of analysis techniques based on neural networks and artificial intelligence, underpin the advancement of next-generation experiments, including the future  Future Circular Collider and Muon Collider.

Contact us

The research group focuses on the study of the evolution of past marine ecosystems in relation to global climate and paleoceanographic changes, with particular reference to episodes of global warming that show analogies with current and future climate changes. These studies are at the forefront of international scientific attention because the study of current ecosystems, which are affected to varying degrees by global warming, is limited to a few decades or historical records, while the geological record offers a long-term perspective, essential for future projections. Variations in planktonic foraminiferal associations, unicellular organisms with calcareous shells, allow the reconstruction of the impact on this important group of marine calcifiers during major global warming events of the Cenozoic. These forms record in their shells the chemical and physical variations of the waters they lived in, which can be derived from geochemical analyses. The increase in temperature and pressure from greenhouse gases (from volcanic sources or methane release) induced pronounced biotic changes, showing in some cases a lack of resilience. The results related to the largest episode of global warming that occurred 56 million years ago are published in Science (February 2024, 10.1126/science.adh4893). Similar studies are ongoing for the Early-Middle Eocene and also include analyses of shell sizes (collaboration: Bristol University, UK), synchrotron analyses (collaboration: Lund University, SE), and geochemical studies (collaboration: Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, DE).

Contact persons: Prof.ssa Valeria Luciani, Prof. Gianluca Frijia

• Palaeobiology and palaeoecology of calcareous algal and larger benthic foraminiferal communities

The research examines ecological and environmental interpretations, as well as dynamics and structure of shallow-water marine benthic communities in carbonate and mixed siliciclastic-carbonate depositional systems. We study the evolution of these ecosystems over broad time scales (Mesozoic–Holocene).

Our main research areas focus on the evolutionary history and palaeobiology of calcareous algae and larger benthic foraminifera, with regard to the biology, ecology, biogeography, and taphonomy of both fossil and living species.

We assess the environmental factors that have significantly constrained appearances and extinctions of calcareous algal and larger benthic foraminiferal communities throughout Earth's history. These goals are achieved by combining palaeontological survey methods, analytical techniques, and palaeobiological analyses (systematics; shell morphology, structure, and architecture; biostratigraphy; taphonomy; palaeoecology; palaeobiogeography).

Contact person: Prof. Davide Bassi

Mineralogy, Petrology, and Geochemistry are essential in addressing contemporary challenges, where environmental sustainability and the circular economy represent fundamental paradigms for an effective ecological transition. From understanding the primary geological processes at the planetary scale that lead to the accumulation of elements in mineral deposits, to the search for new types of geomaterials inspired by minerals, to the economic valorization of strategic georesources for the country and the EU, to the use and development of more advanced analytical and methodological techniques for the geochemical, isotopic, spectroscopic, crystallographic, and microstructural characterization of geological and corresponding artificial materials, and the study of potential risks triggered by current human interactions with the lithosphere, which impact the environment and health—these disciplines play a central role in the country's future.

More specifically, the main research lines include: recycling of demolition materials, innovation in ceramic decoration, property-structure relationships in sustainable catalysis, removal of emerging pollutants using minerals and their synthetic analogs, characterization of gemological materials, petrological processes from the mantle to the Earth's crust, soils and their sustainable management of agricultural and aquatic ecosystems, environmental traceability marked by isotopic fractionation, evolution of georesource availability, harmful particulates in workplaces, development of geochemical methods and applications to ophiolitic complexes.

Contact persons: Prof. Giuseppe Cruciani -Prof. Francesco Di Benedetto -Prof. Gianluca Bianchini -Prof.ssa Costanza Bonadiman - Prof.ssa Annalisa Martucci - Prof. Emilio Saccani

The mitigation of hydrogeological risk represents an urgent and non-deferable necessity for the national and regional territory in the current context of climate change. Emergencies generated by so-called extreme hydrometeorological events require the development of quantitative scenarios to assess the evolution of land degradation over a long-term and large-scale perspective.

The meteorological events in May 2023 in Emilia-Romagna are a tragic example of this: “a reassessment of the driving factors contributing to the genesis of extreme geo-hydrological phenomena” is called for from the entire scientific community.

The research conducted by the Geomorphology and Applied Geology group uses on-site and remote monitoring systems in proximal (UAV) and distal (satellite) modes, laboratory instrumentation, and numerical modeling to study the hazard and risk associated with landslides, river and coastal erosion processes, and flooding phenomena in coastal and river environments.

Sociological and economic evaluations integrate hazard scenario studies to define the associated risk, considering the effects on infrastructure, settlements, economic activities, and areas of particular natural and cultural value.

The group has contributed to the development of a European-scale infrastructure for the creation of a coastal flood warning system within the Copernicus initiatives through the H2020 ECFAS project.

For more information, visit the website.

Contact persons: Prof. Paolo Ciavola - Prof.ssa Monica Ghirotti 

The research in Theoretical Physics at Ferrara covers a wide spectrum of topics: particle physics beyond the Standard Model, theoretical cosmology, nuclear physics in astrophysics, computational physics, and quantum computing. Theoretical physics investigates the cosmological implications beyond the Standard Model, alongside a more phenomenological approach to cosmology. Key research questions include the composition of dark matter, the role of neutrinos and other light particles, fundamental symmetry violations, inflation mechanisms, and the application of effective fluid theories in cosmology. This is often pursued within INFN theoretical initiatives such as InDark and TAsP, leveraging high-performance computing resources provided by the CINECA consortium. Research in nuclear physics in astrophysics focuses on matter under extreme conditions and models phenomena such as Supernovae, Gamma-Ray Bursts, and compact star mergers. This research is linked to experiments like Virgo and the future Einstein Telescope, involving the INFN initiative Neumatt. The Computational Physics and High-Performance Computing (HPC) research integrates modeling, algorithms, software, and hardware to optimize workloads on modern HPC architectures. Topics include Spin Glasses, lattice Boltzmann methods, Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics, and Deep Neural Networks, often in collaboration with INFN theoretical initiatives like NPQCD and INFN projects such as QUBIT e and AI_INFN. Recently, research on Quantum Computing and its applications in data analysis has begun in collaboration with other groups. The HPC cluster COKA at Ferrara provides significant computing resources, enabling users to develop, implement, and run codes on high-performance CPUs and GPUs.

Recent Pubblications

Contacts
Prof. Alessandro Drago - Theroretical nuclear Physics
Prof. Massimiliano Lattanzi - Astroparticle Physics
Prof. Isabella Masina - Physics beyonf the standard model
Prof. Luca Pagano - Physics of the Primordial Universe and CMB
Prof. Fabio Sebastiano Schifano - Computational Physics