Dr. Ferrer is working in the field of Theoretical Cosmology and Astroparticle
Physics. He studies the composition
and evolution of the universe and the implications for cosmology of
models of particle physics beyond the Standard Model of the strong,
weak and electromagnetic interactions. He focuses on the
observable consequences of
particle physics candidates for the dark matter composing galactic halos.
He also studies the nature of the other main contributor to the energy budget
of the universe, dark energy, in modifications to Einstein's theory
of gravity such as string gas cosmology.
On the other hand, a wide variety of elementary particle physics
models predict the presence of
topological defects that would have formed during phase transitions in the
early universe. Dr. Ferrer is interested in these nontrivial field
configurations both
from the point of view of theoretical quantum field theory and
for the potential role that they could play in cosmology and astrophysics.
For instance, a network of superconducting cosmic strings in the Milky Way
plasma could be at the origin of the 511 keV
line emission from the galactic center mapped by the INTEGRAL satellite.
Also,
the cosmic magnetic fields could have been created by
non-perturbative processes in several stages of the evolution
of the universe.
Dr. Ferrer also studies the origin of the cosmic rays with energies exceeding the threshold for photomeson production on the cosmic microwave background, and has been a collaborator of the Pierre Auger Observatory (
http://www.auger.org). He searches for signatures in the energy and angular distribution of the events, that can help in determining the sources for the highest energy cosmic rays.
