The Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) is a research institute of the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the ...

. KITP is one of the most renowned institutes for

theoretical physics 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 ...

in the world, and brings theorists in physics and related fields together to work on topics at the forefront of theoretical science. The National Science Foundation has been the principal supporter of the institute since it was founded as the Institute for Theoretical Physics in 1979. In a 2007 article in the ''

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America'' (often abbreviated ''PNAS'' or ''PNAS USA'') is a peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journal. It is the official journal of the National Academy of Sc ...

'', KITP was given the highest impact index in a comparison of nonbiomedical research organizations across the U.S.

About

In the early 2000s, the institute, formerly known as the Institute for Theoretical Physics, or ITP, was named for the Norwegian-American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate ca ...

and businessman Fred Kavli, in recognition of his donation of $7.5 million to the institute. Kohn Hall, which houses KITP, is located just beyond the Henley Gate at the East Entrance of the UCSB campus. The building was designed by the Driehaus Prize winner and New Classical architect Michael Graves, and a new wing designed by Graves was added in 2003–2004.

Members

The directors of the KITP since its beginning have been: * Walter Kohn, 1979–1984 (Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1998) * Robert Schrieffer, 1984–1989 (Nobel Prize for Physics, 1972) * James S. Langer, 1989–1995 * James Hartle, 1995–1997 ( Einstein Prize (APS), 2009) * David Gross, 1997–2012 (

Nobel Prize in Physics ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...

, 2004) *

Lars Bildsten Lars Bildsten (born 1964) is an American astrophysicist, best known for his work on the physics of white dwarfs and their explosions as Type Ia supernovae. He is the sixth director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics at the Univer ...

, 2012–present The Director, Deputy Director Mark Bowick, and Permanent Members of the KITP (Leon Balents,

, David Gross, and

Boris Shraiman Boris Shraiman is a theoretical physicist working on statistical physics and biology. He is a Permanent Member of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Susan F Gurley Professor of Theoretical Physics and Biology at the University of C ...

) are also on the faculty of the

UC Santa Barbara Physics Department The Physics Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara has 58 faculty members. It offers academic programs leading to the B.A., B.S., and Ph.D. degrees. Faculty Awards As of 2014, the department counts three Nobel Prize winners ...

. Former Permanent Members include Joseph Polchinski and Physics Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek.

References

External links

The KITP web site
{{authority control University of California, Santa Barbara Research institutes in California Physics institutes Michael Graves buildings Kavli Institutes Theoretical physics institutes New Classical architecture