Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) – Sezione di Trieste

The National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) is the Italian research agency dedicated to the study of the fundamental constituents of matter and the laws that govern them, under the supervision of the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR). It conducts theoretical and experimental research in the fields of subnuclear, nuclear and astroparticle physics. All the INFN’s research activities are undertaken within a framework of international competition, in close collaboration with Italian universities on the basis of solid academic partnerships spanning decades. Fundamental research in these areas requires the use of cutting-edge technology and instruments, developed by the INFN at its own laboratories and in collaboration with industries.

Moreover, INFN promotes the application of the skills, methods, and experimental techniques developed during its own research to research in other fields, such as medicine, artistic preservation, and environmental protection.

Research activity at the INFN is carried out at two complementary types of facilities: the Divisions (Sezioni) and the National Laboratories. Each of the Divisions is located at a university physics department. The Divisions thus provide a direct connection between the Institute and the academic world.

The INFN Division of Trieste is one of the twenty INFN Divisions present on the national territory. The researchers of the Division work at the Department of Physics of the University of Trieste, at the laboratories housed in the Area Science Park in Padriciano, at ICTP and SISSA.

The Udine Associated Group at the University of Udine also refers to the Trieste Division. The research carried out in Trieste covers all the fields of interest of the Institution and it should be noted that the theoretical physics group of the Trieste Division is the largest among the INFN Divisions.

The researchers of the Division are involved in various PNRR projects and the Director, Dr. Valter Bonvicini, is INFN contact person for NQSTI – National Quantum Science and Technology Institute.

• Research activity at the INFN is carried out at two complementary types of facilities: the Divisions (Sezioni) and the National Laboratories of Catania, Frascati, Legnaro e Gran Sasso, which host large equipment and infrastructures made available to the national and international scientific community. In addition to the four National Laboratories, three National Centre are also part of the overall structure: CNAF, GGI e TIFPA. The current overall structure also includes: CNAF, TIFPA, GGI. INFN also participates in the EGO consortium.
• INFN-led PNRR Projects: ETIC – Einstein Telescope Infrastructure Consortium, EUAPS – (EUPRAXIA ADVANCED PHOTON SOURCES), IRIS – Innovative Research Infrastructure on applied Superconductivity, KM3NeT4RR – KM3 Neutrino Telescope for Recovery and Resilience, LNGS-FUTURE – LNGS Facilities Upgrade To Unveil Rare Events, TeRABIT – Terabit Network for Research and Academic Big data in Italy.
• The INFN Division of Trieste has 12 laboratories. Research infrastructures: Electronics Laboratory; Silicon Detector Laboratory; Clean Room; Computing Farm integrated into EGI (European Grid Infrastructure); Mechanical workshop; High technology laboratory; Microprocessor laboratory.

The INFN is an important organization with a presence in five continents and more than 30 countries. Of its countless international activities, some of the most important research is conducted at CERN in Geneva. Around 1,000 scientists from the INFN work in research groups at CERN, taking part in all experiments with the LHC particle accelerator (CMS, ATLAS, ALICE, LHCb, LHCf, Totem) and the SPS accelerator (COMPASS).

The INFN is also a major contributor to experiments at other leading foreign laboratories including FERMILAB, SLAC, BNL, and JLAB (United States); PNPI, BINP and JINR (Russian Federation); CIAE and IHEP (China); RIKEN and KEK (Japan); BARC (India), DESY and GSI (Germany), ESRF (France), PSI (Switzerland).

The researchers of the Trieste Division collaborate with the main High Energy Physics laboratories in the world, such as CERN, DESY, SLAC, KEK, FermiLab, Brookhaven, Grenoble, GSI as well as with INAF, ASI, ESA, NASA and ISAS /JAXA.

At least five post-doc positions are opened every year at the INFN in Trieste.

The INFN annually supports the Research Doctorate in Physics of the University of Trieste with two 100% scholarships, and one scholarship for the Research Doctorate in Mathematics and Physics of the University of Udine.

Direction’s Office and Service, in close collaboration with the FVG Welcome Office, takes care of the administrative procedures regarding the arrival of foreign students and researchers.
INFN may request the use of some places at the Area Science Park Padriciano guesthouse for its staff.