Tommaso Dorigo

Padua

Researcher, INFN and Contributor at Science 2.0

Senior researcher @INFN_, Physicist @CMS, President @Usern_net, Coordinator @MODEcollaborat1, blogger @science2_0, Professor @UNIPD, editor @ElsevierPhysics

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Articles

Win A MSCA Post-Doctoral Fellowship!

2 weeks ago | science20.com | Tommaso Dorigo

In order for your application to have a chance to win funding, you need to: have a great research topic in mind, be ready to invest some time in writing a great application, and pair up with an outstanding supervisor at a renowned research institute. Applications for MSCA Post-doctoral fellowships are on, and will be so until September 10 this year.
The Anomaly That Wasn't: An Example Of Shifting Consensus In Science

4 weeks ago | science20.com | Tommaso Dorigo

Time is a gentleman - it waits patiently. And in physics, as in all exact sciences, problems and mysteries eventually get resolved, if we give it enough time. That is how science works, after all: the consensus on our explanation of reality changes as we acquire more information on the latter. Take the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon.
An Innovative Proposal

1 month ago | science20.com | Tommaso Dorigo

The other day I finally emerged from a very stressful push to submit two grant applications to the European Innovation Council. The call in question is for PATHFINDER_OPEN projects, that aim for proofs of principle of groundbreaking technological innovations. So I thought I would broadly report on that experience (no, I am not new to it, but you never cease to learn!), and disclose just a little about the ideas that brought about one of the two projects.
On Progress

1 month ago | science20.com | Tommaso Dorigo

The human race has made huge progress in the past few thousand years, gradually improving the living condition of human beings by learning how to cure illness; improving farming; harvesting, storing, and using energy in several forms; and countless other activities. Progress is measured over long time scales, and on metrics related to the access to innovations by all, as Ford once noted. So it is natural for us to consider ourselves lucky to have lived "in the best of times".
The Night Sky From Atacama

1 month ago | science20.com | Tommaso Dorigo

For the third time in 9 years I am visiting San Pedro de Atacama, a jewel in the middle of nowhere in northern Chile. The Atacama desert is a stretch of extremely dry land at high altitude, which makes it exceptionally attractive for astronomical activities. In its whereabouts, e.g., are some of the largest telescopes in the world - the Cerro Paranal Very Large Telescope (VLT), and the planned Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) now being built in Cerro Armazones.
On A Roll

2 months ago | science20.com | Tommaso Dorigo

What? Another boring chess game? Buzz off, this is my blog, and if I feel like posting a chess game, that's what is going to happen. But if you like the game, stay here - this is a nice game. Again played after hiours today, and again on a 5' online blitz server (chess.com). What amazes me is that these days I seem to have a sort of touch for nice attacks and brilliant combinations. Let me show you why I am saying this.
When The Attack Plays Itself

2 months ago | science20.com | Tommaso Dorigo

After a very intense day at work, I sought some relaxation in online blitz chess today. And the game gave me the kick I was hoping I'd get. After a quick Alapin Sicilian opening, we reached the following position (diagram 1):As you can see, black is threatening a checkmate with Qxg2++. However, the last move was a serious error, as it neglected the intrinsic power of my open files and diagonals against the black king. Can you find the sequence with which I quickly destroyed my opponent's position? 1.
Toponium Found By CMS!

2 months ago | science20.com | Tommaso Dorigo

The highest-mass subnuclear particle ever observed used to the the top quark. Measured for the first time by the CDF experiment in 1994, and subsequently confirmed by CDF and D0 in 1995, the top quark is the heaviest elementary particle we know of, and it is a wonderful physical system per se, which has been studied with momentum in the past thirty years at the Tevatron and at the LHC colliders.
The Problem With Peer Review

2 months ago | science20.com | Tommaso Dorigo

In a world where misinformation, voluntary or accidental, reigns supreme; in a world where lies become truth if they are broadcast for long enough; in a world where we have unlimited access to superintelligent machines, but we prefer to remain ignorant; in this world we are unfortunately living today, that is, the approach taken by scientists to accumulate knowledge - peer review - is something we should hold dear and preserve with care. And yet... Yet the peer review system is crumbling.
Interna

Mar 29, 2025 | science20.com | Tommaso Dorigo

In the past few years my activities on this site - but I would say more in general, as the same pattern happened also on social media - have progressively shifted away from pure casual blogging and reporting of personal matters to a more focused discussion of scientific topics, always lingering around my research interests. I believe this rather unintentional but unavoidable drift has two main causes.