Prof. Ferdinando Mancini
Professor Ferdinando Mancini is an internationally renowned Italian theoretical physicist, well known for his significant contribution to Condensed Matter Physics, particularly in the fields of Strongly Correlated Systems and Superconductivity.
Since 1980, he has been Full Professor at the Department of Physics "E.R. Caianiello" of the University of Salerno. Since 2011 he has been Professor of Structure of Matter emeritus, and in 2012 he was awarded the title of Emeritus Professor at the University of Salerno, in recognition of his commitment to research and teaching. Since 2012, he has also served as President of the International Institute for Advanced Scientific Studies "Eduardo R. Caianiello" (IIASS) in Vietri sul Mare.
Ferdinando Mancini was born in Naples on June 4, 1941. He graduated in Physics at the University of Naples in 1966, building a solid foundation in theoretical physics. From 1966 to 1968, he was awarded a scholarship and attended the Advanced School in Cybernetic and Physical Sciences at the Institute of Theoretical Physics of the University of Naples. In 1968, he moved to the United States, where in 1971 he earned a Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), specializing in the physics of strongly correlated systems and gaining extensive international experience.
His academic career began in the United States as a Research Assistant at UWM (1968–1971), where he took part in cutting-edge research in condensed matter physics. After teaching in several Italian universities, in 1973 he became Associate Professor of Structure of Matter at the University of Salerno, where he contributed to the establishment and development of the Faculty of Sciences. In 1980, he was appointed Full Professor of Structure of Matter at the University of Salerno.
Professor Mancini’s research activity has been primarily devoted to Strongly Correlated Systems, with a special focus on superconductivity. In this field, in collaboration with physicist Hiroomi Umezawa, he developed a new theoretical framework, the Boson Method in Superconductivity, obtaining remarkable theoretical results and excellent agreement with experimental data. Later, he studied Thermo Field Dynamics, a quantum field theory at finite temperature. Once his work on superconducting systems was completed, his main research interest—since the 1990s—has been an original theoretical approach he himself formulated: the Composite Operator Method (developed with the support of his research group). This method is now recognized as a solid tool for the study of strongly correlated electronic systems, such as the Hubbard model and the Ising model.
Professor Mancini has engaged in numerous international collaborations, including with the University of Alberta, Tohoku University, and the University of Hyderabad, working as a visiting scientist. He coordinated important national and international scientific projects, such as the INTAS project, which included the University of Salerno, the Kurchatov Institute (Moscow), the University of Dresden, JINR Dubna, and IHPP Moscow. He also led several COFIN projects, focusing on low-dimensional electronic systems. Throughout his academic and scientific career, he supervised numerous undergraduate theses, 11 Ph.D. dissertations, and 11 postdoctoral researchers.
The outcome of this intense research activity has been the publication of 267 scientific articles, with more than 2,600 citations, in leading international journals such as Physical Review B, Physics Reports C, Advances in Physics, and European Physical Journal. Among his main contributions are theoretical studies on the Hubbard model and on Superconductivity in Cuprate Materials. He has also co-edited more than 20 academic volumes, including the three-volume series Strongly Correlated Systems (Theoretical Methods, Numerical Methods, Experimental Techniques), which explores techniques for the study of correlated systems.
He has been actively involved in the organization of international conferences and symposia, both in Italy and abroad. His most notable achievement in science dissemination has been the creation and long-term organization of the Training Course in the Physics of Correlated Electron Systems and High-Tc Superconductors, a two-week school held annually for 23 years (1996–2021) in Vietri sul Mare at the IIASS headquarters. The school gathered highly qualified lecturers and young researchers worldwide and focused on innovative, cutting-edge topics. The proceedings of the early editions were published by AIP (New York), while the later ones appeared in the Springer Series in Solid-State Sciences.
His scientific achievements and contributions to condensed matter physics were acknowledged by colleagues with the organization of an international conference in 2003 to celebrate his 60th birthday: “Highlights in Condensed Matter Physics: Proceedings of the International Conference HCMP03”.
Beyond his deep commitment to research and teaching, Professor Mancini has held numerous academic positions throughout his distinguished career. At the University of Salerno, he served as Director of the Department of Theoretical Physics (1984–1989), Chairman of the Physics Degree Board (1989–1993), Member of the University Board of Governors representing full professors (1982–1992), Coordinator of the Ph.D. Program in Physics (12th cycle), and Director of the Department of Physics "E.R. Caianiello" (2001–2006). He was also Chairman of the University Financial Committee (1982–1992), Chairman of the University Senate Committee (1988–1992), and President of the Interdepartmental Center for Data Documentation and Processing.
Today, Professor Ferdinando Mancini lives in Salerno with his wife, enjoying the accomplishments of his three children, who followed in his footsteps by earning degrees in Physics and completing Ph.D.s in the same discipline at European universities.
Selected Bibliography
L. Leplae, F. Mancini, H. Umezawa: Boson method in Superconductivity: Application to the Study of Vortex Lines; Physical Review B 2 3594-3605 (1970)
L. Leplae, F. Mancini, H. Umezawa: Boson method in Superconductivity: Application to the Study of Josephson Effect; Nuovo Cimento B 9 233-258 (1972)
L. Leplae, F. Mancini, H. Umezawa: Derivation and Applicationt of the Boson Method in Superconductivity; Physics Reports C 10 151-272 (1974)
H. Matsumoto, Y. Nakano, H. Umezawa, F. Mancini, M. Marinaro: Thermo Field Dynamics in Interactio Representatiom; Progr. Theor. Phys. 70, 599 (1983)
F. Mancini: The birth of Thermo Field Dynamics; Physics Essays 9, 624 (1996)
F. Mancini: Composite operators and algebra constraints: a formalism for highly interacting systems; in "Highlights in Condensed Matter Physics", pag. 240-257, edited by A. Avella, R. Citro, C. Noce, M. Salerno (AIP, New York, 2003)
F. Mancini, A. Avella: The Hubbard Model within the Equations of Motion Approach; Advances in Physics 53, 537-768 (2004)
F. Mancini: New Perspectives on the Ising Model; Eur. Phys. J B 45, 497 (2005)
A. Avella, F. Mancini, F.P. Mancini, E Plekhanov: Emery vs. Hubbard model for cuprate superconductors: a composite operator method study; Eur. Phys. J B 86, 265 (2013)
