Emanuel Katz

Schlumberger Chair for Mathematical Sciences

Theoretical physicist Emanuel Katz explores the connections between quantum field theory, particle physics, and condensed matter, developing new tools to understand strongly correlated quantum systems.

Emanuel Katz is currently a professor of physics at Boston University. He studied physics and mathematics at MIT, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1996 and a PhD in theoretical physics in 2001 under the supervision of Lisa Randall. After research positions at the University of Washington and SLAC, he joined Boston University. His research focuses primarily on theoretical particle physics and condensed-matter physics, with a particular interest in quantum field theory and conformal field theory.

He is particularly interested in how the mathematical tools of conformal field theory can help us understand interactions between particles and collective quantum phenomena. These theories study systems with a particular form of scale invariance and provide a common language across several areas of physics, from particle physics to quantum materials. Katz uses them in particular to study strongly correlated systems and questions related to the Standard Model.

Another important part of his work is building bridges between different approaches to theoretical physics. Together with his collaborators, he combines quantum field theory, numerical simulations, and holography to investigate the properties of complex quantum systems. More recently, he has worked on lightcone quantization, a method for exploring strongly coupled quantum field theories. His research therefore lies at the intersection of particle physics, condensed matter, and mathematics.

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