Research

I’m primarily interested in the synthesis of modern theories of particle physics and cosmology. This is a golden age for physical cosmology with many exciting observational breakthroughs. In addition to some startling discoveries, like Dark Energy and cosmic repulsion, these observations have helped solidify our understanding of the Universe’s evolution. The precision of recent observations highlights brightly the many unanswered questions for theorists and future experiments: How did the Universe come to be so large, old, and smooth, but not perfectly so? Why is the cosmic expansion accelerating rather than slowing down as we once thought it must? What makes up the Dark Matter that dominates the formation of structure in our Universe? As a theorist, I address these questions using theories of fundamental physics like general relativity, the standard model of particle physics, and physics “beyond the standard model” like supergravity and string theory. In trying to harmonize the observed properties of our Universe with theories of physics at its most fundamental level, I gain greater insight into both.

Teaching

I have just joined (Fall 2004) the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UTSA as an Assistant Professor. Previously, I was a postdoc with the Theoretical Astrophysics group at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, IL. I earned my Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 2001, an M.S. from the University of Hawaii in 1998, and my B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1994 (Go Banana Slugs!).
My wife, Sigrid, also has a Ph.D. in Physics. While I work in theoretical cosmology and particle physics, her expertise is in theoretical condensed matter physics. She is currently a lecturer in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UTSA.
Currently, I’m teaching PHY 4013, Relativity: Special and General. I have previously lead discussions, laboratory sessions, and seminars, but this is my first full semester course. As a teacher, my most important task is to give my students the tools and confidence they need to employ and advance their learning even after they leave my classroom. I try to provide non-science students with an understanding of the scientific method, a familiarity with the core concepts of the subject studied, an appreciation for the thrill of scientific discovery, and the confidence that they are capable of understanding and utilizing scientific arguments in their lives. For science and engineering students, I further aim to prepare them with the technical skills they will need in their area of study and encouragement in that pursuit.

Selected Papers

• M. Ahmed, S. Dodelson, P.B. Greene, and R. Sorkin, ``Everpresent Lambda,'' Phys. Rev. D69, 103523 (2004) . Available on the web as eprint: astro-ph/0209274.
• P.B. Greene, K. Kadota, and H. Murayama, ``Supergravity Inflation Free from Harmful Relics,''
  Phys. Rev. D68, 043502 (2003). Available on the web as eprint: hep-ph/0208276.
• P.B. Greene and L. Kofman, ``Preheating of Fermions,'' Phys. Lett. B448, 6-12 (1999). Available on the web as eprint: hep-ph/9807339.

A more complete publication list can be found here on the SPIRES list.

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Last update: Wednesday May 11, 2005