Dr. Vivian Incera

Dr. InceraChairperson, Department of Physics
Office Location: Currens Hall 212
Phone Number: (309) 298-1596
E-mail: V-Incera@wiu.edu
Personal Web Page: http://faculty.wiu.edu/V-Incera/

Education

  • Ph.D. – Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow, Russia, 1988
  • B. S. – Havana University, Havana, Cuba, 1976

Courses

I have extensive teaching experience at all levels. Over the years I have taught practically all undergraduate physics courses and many graduate courses. At WIU I am teaching Mathematical Physics courses for graduates and undergraduates.

Research Interests

My research interests span several areas of theoretical physics. I feel intellectually attracted by the conceptual unity that quite often lies hidden in fundamental problems of areas apparently unrelated. During my career I have worked in the interface of high energy physics, cosmology and astrophysics, in condensed matter and in more formal quantum field theory problems. Currently, I am interested in the phenomenon of color superconductivity, which can occur in superdense (densities ~ 10 times the nuclear density) and cold baryonic matter. My most recent work has been aimed at understanding the effects of large magnetic fields in a color superconductor. These studies have been motivated by the existence of large magnetic fields in neutron stars, whose cores seem to be by far the only place in the universe where the conditions for color superconductivity could be realized.

Selected Publications