Orthodox Academy of Crete hosts international CERN physics conference from August 19-30
The Orthodox Academy of Crete (OAC) is hosting the 15th International Conference on New Frontiers in Physics (ICNFP 2026) from August 19 to August 30, 2026, bringing scientists from Greece and abroad to the institution’s facilities.
ICNFP is an interdisciplinary conference that brings together professors and researchers from universities and research centers in Greece and internationally. The scientific program covers particle and nuclear physics, astroparticle physics, gravity, mathematical physics and quantum optics, along with talks on other emerging research topics.
New results from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider
A significant part of the program is dedicated to recent results from experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Scientific collaborations will present new findings from the collider’s third operating period (Run 3), which began in 2022 and concluded in June 2026, as well as from earlier runs.
Presentations will cover the properties and couplings of the Higgs boson, high-precision measurements, and searches for new particles and phenomena beyond the Standard Model, including possible new resonances decaying into top-antitop quark pairs. Upgrades to the LHC experiments’ detectors ahead of the collider’s next major operating period will also be a focus, with organizers saying the upgrades are expected to increase luminosity by roughly 5-7 times the nominal value and raise collision energy to 14 TeV.
Neutrinos, dark matter and gravitational waves
Part of the program is devoted to neutrino physics, including new results and discussion on neutrino mass, the possible existence of new neutrino types, and the fundamental nature of these particles. Theoretical talks will address topics including the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, string theory and the nature of dark matter.
The conference will also feature developments in gravity and gravitational waves. The LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration will present new results on binary black hole systems, including searches for black holes with sub-solar masses.
Heavy-ion collisions and the RHIC anniversary
Another topic will be ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions, with results from CERN experiments as well as from the RHIC accelerator at Brookhaven National Laboratory in the United States. The conference will include talks marking 25 years of RHIC, which completed its research mission in 2026. Results from smaller collision systems, such as oxygen-oxygen collisions, will complement studies of lead-lead collisions and other smaller systems.
AI, quantum computing and future accelerators
ICNFP 2026 includes a scientific school dedicated to artificial intelligence and its role in modern research, alongside talks on quantum computing and the design of future accelerators such as CERN’s proposed Future Circular Collider (FCC). The program also includes talks on applications of physics in other fields, including cancer treatment using heavy ions.
Public lecture by Professor Johann Rafelski
A public lecture by Professor Johann Rafelski of the University of Arizona is scheduled for Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 18:30 in the OAC amphitheater. Rafelski will discuss quark-gluon plasma, a state of matter studied at Brookhaven National Laboratory and CERN that is linked to conditions believed to have existed in the very early universe. The lecture is open to the public, with students, educators, researchers and anyone interested in physics invited to attend.
Ukrainian students and educators visit the Academy
Separately, the Orthodox Academy of Crete is hosting a group of Ukrainian students, professors, clergy and laypeople as part of an educational and theological program aimed at deepening theological knowledge, fostering dialogue, and offering firsthand exposure to Orthodox tradition and church life in Crete.
During their stay, participants are attending lectures and discussions led by Professor Emeritus Grigorios Larentzakis of the University of Graz, OAC General Director Dr. Konstantinos V. Zorbas, and other academic staff of the institution. Course topics include Orthodox theology and ecclesiology, the contemporary witness of the Church, ecumenical dialogue, and challenges facing people and the Church amid social, cultural and technological change, with emphasis on dialogue, peaceful coexistence, reconciliation and solidarity.
Alongside the academic program, visitors are also touring monasteries and parishes in the region to learn about Crete’s ecclesiastical and monastic tradition. According to the Academy, the program is funded by the General Secretariat of Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, with the continued personal involvement of Dr. Georgios Kalantzis, Secretary General for Religious Affairs.
