One of the greatest challenges in contemporary physics is presented by the emergence of a nuclear-size mass-scale in Nature. The search for a mechanical explanation of this phenomenon began shortly after the formulation of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). Through forty years of research, it has become steadily clearer that the gauge sector probably holds the answer. I will explain this perspective and relate recent novel results in continuum theory and lattice simulations that strengthen this position.
Prof. Joannis Papavassiliou received his B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Athens, Greece (1985), and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of California, Los Angeles, U.S.A. (1990), with specialization in elementary particles and quantum field theory. Subsequently, he held two post-doctoral positions in the USA, specifically at Brookhaven National Laboratory (1990-1992) and New York University (1992-1995). After two post-doctoral stays at the CPT Marseille (1996-1997) and the University of Manchester (1997-1998), he obtained the prestigious Marie-Curie fellowship for a research position at the Theoretical Division of CERN (Geneva, Switzerland). Then, he was Visiting Professor (1999-2001) and Ramón y Cajal researcher (2001-2006) at the University of Valencia where he is currently a Full Professor.
A considerable part of his early scientific activity was devoted to the development of the method known as ``Pinch Technique'' - a systematic framework for the construction of gauge-invariant off-shell Green's functions for the study of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) - which has a multitude of applications, both theoretical and phenomenological. Since 2007 his interest has shifted to the study of nonperturbative aspects of QCD such as dynamical mass generation for gluons and quarks, and the infrared behavior of Green's functions, by means of Schwinger-Dyson equations. A new stage in his research activity began in 2015, when a deep connection between nonperturbative QCD and hadronic physics was found, which acts as a ``bridge'' between the underlying theory and phenomenological models.
Daniele Binosi