V. Alan Kostelecký is a

theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experi ...

who is a distinguished professor of physics at

Indiana University, Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship campus of Indiana University and its largest campus, with over 4 ...

. He is noted for his work on Lorentz symmetry breaking in

particle physics Particle physics or high-energy physics is the study of Elementary particle, fundamental particles and fundamental interaction, forces that constitute matter and radiation. The field also studies combinations of elementary particles up to the s ...

. He has been described as the world's leading authority on violations of

space-time In physics, spacetime, also called the space-time continuum, is a mathematical model that fuses the three-dimensional space, three dimensions of space and the one dimension of time into a single four-dimensional continuum (measurement), continu ...

symmetry. Kostelecký was a student at the International School of Geneva, Switzerland (1965-1973). Subsequently, he began as an undergraduate in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

, switched his degree to

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, and eventually switched for the last time to

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

and obtained his undergraduate degree in science from

Bristol University The University of Bristol is a public research university in Bristol, England. It received its royal charter in 1909, although it can trace its roots to a Merchant Venturers' school founded in 1595 and University College, Bristol, which had ...

in 1977, and his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in physics from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1982. He has been a faculty member at the Indiana University in Bloomington since joining there in 1985. In 1989, Kostelecký and his colleagues demonstrated the existence of an

anisotropy Anisotropy () is the structural property of non-uniformity in different directions, as opposed to isotropy. An anisotropic object or pattern has properties that differ according to direction of measurement. For example, many materials exhibit ve ...

string theory In physics, string theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and intera ...

models, and proposed a new version of the

Standard Model The Standard Model of particle physics is the Scientific theory, theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces (electromagnetism, electromagnetic, weak interaction, weak and strong interactions – excluding gravity) in the unive ...

of particle physics, called the ''

Standard-Model Extension Standard-Model Extension (SME) is an effective field theory that contains the Standard Model, general relativity, and all possible operators that break Lorentz symmetry. Violations of this fundamental symmetry can be studied within this general fra ...

'' that catalogs the various ways in which space-time symmetry can be violated. The

has various "coefficients", which are parameters that can be adjusted to the requirements of the model. The theory has now become the benchmark for classic tests of relativity theory. Kostelecký's work hypothesizes possible asymmetries in the space-time at length scales of 10⁻³⁵ m, that is, the

Planck length In particle physics and physical cosmology, Planck units are a system of units of measurement defined exclusively in terms of four universal physical constants: '' c'', '' G'', '' ħ'', and ''k''B (described further below). Expressing one of ...

scale. He has enlisted the help of several physicists from diverse areas such as

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

and

to experimentally detect the presence of these asymmetries. Kostelecký, along with

Stuart Samuel Stuart Samuel may refer to: * Stuart Samuel (politician), British banker and politician * Stuart Samuel (physicist), American physicist {{hndis, Samuel, Stuart ...

was the first to use the Bumblebee model in gravity as a simple model for investigating the consequences of spontaneous Lorentz violation. Kostelecký has hosted a series of ''Meetings on CPT and Lorentz Symmetry'' at Indiana University. Kostelecký was named a Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

(AAAS) in 2006, a Fellow of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

(APS) in 2004, and a Fellow of the English

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, physics research, research and applied physics, application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide ...

in 2000. He chaired the APS committees for the Heineman Prize and the Pipkin Award in 2005. He received the Indiana University award for excellence in teaching in 1988 and 1992, the

Frederic Bachman Lieber Frederic may refer to: Places United States * Frederic, Wisconsin, a village in Polk County * Frederic Township, Michigan, a township in Crawford County ** Frederic, Michigan, an unincorporated community Other uses * Frederic (band), a Japanese r ...

Teaching Award in 1997, and a

Gravity Research Foundation The Gravity Research Foundation is an organization established in 1948 by businessman Roger Babson (founder of Babson College) to find ways to implement gravitational shielding. Over time, the foundation turned away from trying to block gravity ...

Award twice, in 1993 and 2005. He received the 2025 Norman F. Ramsey Prize for applications of the Standard Model Extension to physical precision measurement tests.

References

External links

Faculty page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostelecký, Alan 21st-century American physicists American particle physicists Living people Yale University alumni Indiana University faculty Year of birth missing (living people) American theoretical physicists International School of Geneva alumni