CMT vs HEP-PH Research: Which is Better for Grad School?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the decision-making process regarding research opportunities in condensed matter theory (CMT) versus high-energy physics phenomenology (hep-ph) for a student aiming to pursue high-energy theoretical physics (hep-th) in graduate school. Participants explore the implications of each choice on future academic prospects and personal interests in mathematics and physics.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire to pursue hep-th but faces a lack of relevant faculty, presenting two options: working with a CMT professor or a hep-ph professor.
  • Another participant questions the choice of hep-th due to its perceived lack of substantial data compared to other fields, suggesting that good physicists often model quality data.
  • A participant mentions their background in astrophysics and the expectation of publishing with the hep-ph professor, while expressing a strong interest in pure mathematics and its application to physics.
  • One contributor advocates for working with the hep-ph professor, emphasizing the importance of gaining perspective from experimental work, despite their previous enthusiasm for hep-ph.
  • Another participant argues that CMT can be as mathematically rigorous as string theory and highlights its experimental verifications, suggesting that a publication in CMT would be beneficial for graduate school applications.
  • A participant acknowledges the growth of CMT at their school and expresses concern about appearing unfocused if switching from astrophysics to CMT.
  • One participant reiterates that while a publication in CMT is valuable, gaining experience in an experimental setting would provide essential perspective for the student.
  • Another participant shares their positive experience with experimental work, indicating its value in understanding real-world applications of physics.
  • The original poster concludes their decision to work with the CMT professor, expressing enthusiasm for the challenging nature of the research.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the merits of CMT versus hep-ph research, with no consensus reached. Some advocate for the experimental perspective offered by hep-ph, while others emphasize the mathematical rigor and relevance of CMT.

Contextual Notes

Participants discuss the implications of their research choices on graduate school applications and personal interests, highlighting the complexity of transitioning between fields and the importance of publications.

metapuff
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I want to do hep-th in grad school (like everyone else!). My school doesn't have anyone working in formal hep-th, so I need to take a roundabout track in research (I've been working in cosmology recently). I have two options:

work with a well-known prof in CMT (very mathematical)
work with a less known prof in hep-ph (blending experiment and theory)

which seems better suited if I'm aiming for hep-th in grad school? The math that I'd get in the CMT research would be nice, but the hep-ph research might be a little more topical. Any thoughts?
 
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What year are you? Can you produce something substantial, like a publication, before you graduate?

Also why are you interested in a field which has substantially less good data to play with than many other interesting fields, from condensed matter to biophysics to astrophysics? Good physicists seem to be people who like to model quality data, not people who are driven by philosophical positions.
 
I'm finishing my second year. I've written a paper in astrophysics / cosmology type stuff, and getting a paper out with the hep-ph professor seems like a reasonable expectation. Not sure about the CMT guy though.

I'm interested in hep-th because I really like pure math, and want to be able to apply the algebraic / differential geometry I've been learning to physics. I totally agree that there's more "going on" in other areas of physics (i.e. astro) in terms of experimental progress and science being done. Ideally, I'd be interested in another field. But hey, nothing to be done.
 
Well this thread is specifically about what sort of research will help you most with graduate school, so to stay on topic I will say the following: absolutely work with the experimentalist/phenomenologist in hep-ph, not because it will help you more in getting to do hep theory, but because it will provide you with perspective you really need.

As a disclaimer I was a huge hep-ph fan, but then became completely disillusioned with the subject after working in an experimental hep lab, discovering that theorists are utterly impotent without good data (and they have no good data in hep th), and working in a biophysics lab and discovering that there is little difference between doing numerical protein simulations and numerical QFT simulations. Working for the experimentalist will probably do more good for you than a first author CMT pub in physical review.
 
CMT can be just as mathematical and abstract as fields like string theory. Often we use ideas from areas like topology, geometry, group theory, etc. Condensed matter also very heavily used QFT and even CFT in many areas. However, unlike string theory, many of these topics have been experimentally verified. Take the quantum spin Hall effect and 3D topological insulators. Those where predicted theoretically and subsequently verified by experiment. Same as spin liquids which exhibit some very exotic quantum phenomena.

I personally would work with the CMT professor. CMT is a booming these days as people are starting to realize that it can be both incredibly elegant and experimentally realizable. In fact, a lot of people from HET have switched to CMT or have started doing some research in it.

I disagree that a first author publication in CMT won't help you that much. That's exactly how I was when I was applying to grad schools and I did very well in admissions. It will also be very helpful when applying for fellowships as well.
 
Thanks for the replies! CMT is booming, especially at my school. I was definitely leaning towards the CMT guy, as it looks like he's doing some cool group theory stuff in frustrated magnetism. However, I've written some papers in astro / cosmology and am worried that a switch to CMT might make it seem like I lack focus. Anyway, thanks for the advice.
 
Sure, a first author paper in CMT published in physical review will probably get you into most of the top ten schools; that wasn't the point of my statement, which was to say that getting perspective on the state of hep-th in an experiment/phenomenology lab would be more beneficial to the OP as an individual.
 
Well it's always good to have some work in experiment so you appreciate how things work in the real world. I did my first summer in CME.
 
Okay, I'm going with the CMT guy. Going to get my ass kicked doing super hard integrals all summer... psyched! Hopefully it'll be character-building.
 

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