• home
• research
• teaching
• divulgación
• links
• contact

abstruse goose

research interests

My research straddles across various areas of elementary particle physics where strong coupling dynamics plays an important role. In recent years I have focused on computations of the long-distance strong interaction contribution to flavour-changing decay amplitudes in the Standard Model, and on studies of the dynamics of chiral symmetry breaking in QCD. I am also interested in models for electroweak symmetry breaking and fermion mass generation without elementary Higgs fields. Most of my research is carried out using lattice field theory methods, that involve the use of large-scale computational facilities.

A list of key topics includes:

• Lattice field theories, especially Lattice QCD.
• Hadronic weak matrix elements.
• Low-energy strong interaction dynamics.
• Non-perturbative renormalisation.
• Chiral fermions on the lattice.
• Electroweak symmetry breaking by strong dynamics.
• Computational physics.

vita

• 2014-: Profesor Titular, Dept. of Theoretical Physics UAM and IFT-UAM/CSIC.
• 2012-2014: Profesor Contratado Doctor, Dept. of Theoretical Physics UAM and IFT-UAM/CSIC.
• 2007-2012: Ramón y Cajal Fellow, Dept. of Theoretical Physics UAM and IFT-UAM/CSIC
• 2004-2007: Research Fellow, CERN Theory Unit.
• 2002-2004: Research Fellow, DESY-Hamburg Theory Group.
• 2000-2002: EU Research Fellow, INFN Rome Tor Vergata.
• 1996-2000: PhD in Theoretical Physics, UAM.
• 1991-1996: BSc in Physics, UAM.

publications

A complete list of my publications can be obtained from INSPIRE. Here are some selected items:

• Dissecting the ΔI=1/2 rule at large N_c.
  By A. Donini, P. Hernández, C. Pena, F. Romero-López, Eur.Phys.J. C80 (2020) 638.
  
  
• Light quark masses in N_f=2+1 lattice QCD with Wilson fermions.
  By ALPHA Collaboration (M. Bruno et al.), Eur.Phys.J. C80 (2020) 169.
  
  
• FLAG Review 2019: Flavour Lattice Averaging Group (FLAG).
  By S. Aoki et al., Eur.Phys.J. C80 (2020) 113.
  
  
• Non-perturbative quark mass renormalisation and running in N_f=3 QCD.
  By ALPHA Collaboration (I. Campos et al.), Eur.Phys.J. C78 (2018) 387.
  
  
• Nonleptonic kaon decays at large N_c.
  By A. Donini, P. Hernández, C. Pena, F. Romero-López, Phys.Rev. D94 (2016) 114511.
  
  
• Review of lattice results concerning low energy particle physics [FLAG16].
  By S. Aoki et al., Eur.Phys.J. C77 (2017) 112.
  
  
• Exploring the role of the charm quark in the ΔI=1/2 rule.
  By E. Endress, C. Pena, Phys.Rev. D90 (2014) 094504.
  
  
• Review of lattice results concerning low energy particle physics [FLAG13].
  By S. Aoki et al., Eur.Phys.J. C74 (2014) 2890.
  
  
• Probing the chiral regime of N_f=2 QCD with mixed actions.
  By F. Bernardoni, P. Hernández, N. Garron, S. Necco, C. Pena, Phys.Rev. D83 (2011) 054503.
  
  
• Testing chiral effective theory with quenched lattice QCD.
  By L. Giusti, P. Hernández, S. Necco, C. Pena, J. Wennekers, H. Wittig, JHEP 0805 (2008) 024.
  
  
• Non-perturbative renormalisation of ΔF=2 four-fermion operators in two-flavour QCD.
  By ALPHA Collaboration (P. Dimopoulos et al.), JHEP 0805 (2008) 065.
  
  
• On K→ππ amplitudes with a light charm quark.
  By L. Giusti, P. Hernández, M. Laine, C. Pena, J. Wennekers, H. Wittig, Phys.Rev.Lett. 98 (2007) 082003.
  
  
• A Precise determination of B_K in quenched QCD, and follow-up
  Flavour symmetry restoration and kaon weak matrix elements in quenched twisted mass QCD.
  By ALPHA Collaboration (P. Dimopoulos et al.), Nucl.Phys. B749 (2006) 69-108; Nucl.Phys. B776 (2007) 258-285.
  
  
• Non-perturbative renormalization of left-left four-fermion operators in quenched lattice QCD.
  By ALPHA Collaboration (M. Guagnelli et al.), JHEP 0603 (2006) 088.
  
  
• Twisted mass QCD and lattice approaches to the ΔI=1/2 rule.
  By C. Pena, S. Sint, A. Vladikas, JHEP 0409 (2004) 069.
  
  
• Weyl-Dirac zero mode for calorons.
  By M. García Pérez, A. González-Arroyo, C. Pena, P. van Baal, Phys.Rev. D60 (1999) 031901.
  
  

selected talks

• Lattice QCD for precision flavour physics.
  Invited talk at the CERN Council Open Symposium on the Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics, Granada, May 2019.
  
  
• Lattice QCD for precision flavour physics.
  Invited talk at Moriond EW 2018, La Thuile, March 2018.
  
  
• Progress and prospects for heavy flavour physics on the lattice.
  Plenary talk at Lattice 2015, Kobe, July 2015.
  
  
• Understanding the anatomy of the ΔI=1/2 rule.
  Trobada at IFIC-Valencia, December 2014.
  
  
• Probing the mixed regime of Chiral Perturbation Theory with mixed actions.
  Chiral Dynamics with Wilson Fermions, ECT* Trento, October 2011.
  
  
• Towards a quantitative understanding of the ΔI=1/2 rule.
  Fermions and Extended Objects on the Lattice, Centro de Ciencias de Benasque Pedro Pascual, February 2007.
  
  
• Flavour Physics from first-principles QCD computations: the case of kaon oscillation.
  Graduiertenkolleg Universität Mainz, October 2006.
  
  
• Twisted mass QCD for weak matrix elements.
  Plenary talk at Lattice 2006, Tucson, July 2006.
  
  
• Twisted four-fermion physics.
  Twisted Mass Lattice Fermions Workshop, Villa Mondragone, March 2005.
  
  

student supervision

PhD theses:

• Alessandro Conigli, Approaching the b-quark sector in decays of heavy-light mesons (2019-).
• Javier Ugarrio, Relativistic heavy quark physics with lattice QCD (2017-).
• David Preti, Determination of fundamental parameters in the hadron sector of the Standard Model (2014-2017).
• Eric Endreß, On the role of the charm quark in the ΔI=1/2 rule (2009-2014).

MSc theses:

• Teseo Miguel San José, Masses and matrix elements with heavy mesons in Lattice QCD (2017)
• Javier Ugarrio, Towards Precise Charm Physics from Lattice QCD (2016)
• José Luis Huerta Fernández, Current status of determinations of |V_ub| and |V_cb| and implications for new Physics (2015)
• José María Sánchez Velázquez, Light quark mass dependence of form factors for heavy-light meson semileptonic decay (2015)
• Daniel Robaina, Towards first-principles studies of QCD at finite temperature and baryon chemical potential (2010-2012, joint supervision with H. Meyer)

Undergraduate students:

• Javier Martín Viscasillas (2014-2015) (Trabajo Fin de Grado)
• Diego Regalado (2009-2010) (Introduction to Research scholarship)
• Luis Melgar (2008-2009) (Introduction to Research scholarship)
• Lucía Rodrigo (2008-2009) (Introduction to Research scholarship)

lattice journal club

The IFT lattice group runs a journal club devoted to informal discussions on current group research, interesting publications, conference highlights etc. A list of events can be found here.