The International Light Cone Advisory Committee, Inc.

About ILCAC

The mission of ILCAC, Inc. is to advance research in quantum field theory, particularly light-cone quantization methods applicable to the solution of physical problems, through the organization of meetings, workshops, and other measures.One of the main goals of ILCAC’s activities is to assist in the development of crucial experimental tests at hadron facilities, including the Jefferson Lab. ILCAC will fulfill its mission through:
  1. Sponsoring conferences, workshops, and institutes devoted to quantum field theory and various subfields of physics. ILCAC works with members of the light-cone scientific community to organize workshops and conferences devoted to quantum field theory and various subfields of physics. The ILCAC Board has created a committee that acts as a scientific advisory committee for these meetings. The Board sponsors them by identifying speakers and awarding travel grants to young researchers. Meetings are open to the entire scientific community, both in the U.S. and internationally. Speakers at such meetings are physicists with expertise in quantum field theory or other subfields of physics. Organization of the conferences, including identification of the venue, collection of conference fees, and development of meeting agenda, are taken care of by the local organizing committee.
  2. Providing research fellowships for PhD graduate work, as well as funding sabbatical leave programs for established researchers, in quantum field theory and various subfields of physics. ILCAC may provide sabbatical leave grants to individual scientists to allow them to conduct research regarding quantum field theory, particularly light-cone quantization methods applicable to the solution of physical problems. Grant proposals are developed and reviewed by the Board. Potential recipients must hold a PhD degree and have displayed a proven track record in physics research. In addition to sabbatical leave grants, ILCAC may make fellowship grants to graduate, doctoral or post-doctoral candidates who are studying quantum field theory, particularly light-cone quantization methods applicable to the solution of physical problems. The Board will review applications and determine grantees.

Goals and Priority Research Issues

The central issue addressed by the light-front dynamics community is
The rigorous description of hadrons and nuclei from first principles in quantum chromodynamics.

The main goals of research in light-front dynamics are

  • The rigorous evaluation of masses and wave functions of hadrons using the light-front Hamiltonian of QCD;
  • Hadronic and nuclear phenomenology based on fundamental quark and gluon dynamics;
  • Confront and design crucial experimental tests at the new hadron facilities – JLAB, RHIC, LHC, JPARC, GSI(FAIR).

Advantages of the light-front framework
Boost-invariant wave functions which enable the calculation of decay rates, scattering amplitudes, correlations, spin effects, phases, distributions and other hadronic observables from first principles, as well as to illuminate novel QCD effects.

Challenges for the light-front framework

  • Symmetry preserving regularization and renormalization methods,
  • The incorporation of spontaneous symmetry breaking,
  • Explicit evaluation of hadron spectra and amplitudes,
  • Connections with string theory methods,
  • Connections between quark-gluon and nuclear many-body methods.

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