Boulder School 2009: Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics: Fundamental Problems and Applications

July 6 - July 24, 2009

Scientific Coordinators:

Ching-Hwa Kiang (Rice University), Michel Pleimling (Virginia Tech), Beate Schmittmann (Virginia Tech), Uwe C. Täuber (Virginia Tech)

Site Coordinator: Leo Radzihovsky

The 2009 school will be devoted to the behavior of nonequilibrium systems and processes. The past decades have led to remarkable progress in the understanding of systems away from thermal equilibrium. A variety of novel phenomena emerges, and generally, stochastic fluctuations and intrinsic correlations tend to play a very significant role. Researchers in nonequilibrium statistical physics are poised to significantly contribute to the characterization and modeling of physical, chemical, and biological processes from macroscopic down to nanometer scales.

The goals of this school are twofold: First, to provide a pedagogical introduction and overview of the fundamentals and recent progress in nonequilibrium statistical physics for young researchers working in both theory and experiment, and second, to point out opportunities for fruitful future developments.


Public Lectures

Duane Physics Building, Rm. G1B20


List of 2009 expected lecturers and seminar speakers (T: Theory, E: Experiment) :

Nonequilibrium systems: introduction, classic models, and recent developments
Royce K.P. Zia, Virginia Tech - Introduction: driven diffusive lattice gases and mass transport models (T)
Sid Redner, Boston University - Classic models in nonequilibrium statistical physics (T)
Nonequilibrium work theorems and fluctuation relations
Chris Jarzynski, University of Maryland - Nonequilibrium work relations (T)
Udo Seifert, University of Stuttgart - Stochastic thermodynamics: theory and experiments (T/E)
Ching-Hwa Kiang, Rice University - Single-molecule manipulation experiments of biological molecules (E)
Reaction-diffusion and interacting particle systems
Daniel ben-Avraham, Clarkson University - Reaction-diffusion models in one-dimension (T)
Ben Vollmayr-Lee, Bucknell University - Field theory approach to diffusion-limited reactions (T)
Nicholas Wschebor, Universidad de la República - Nonperturbative renormalization group approach to nonequilibrium systems (T)
Erwin Frey, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich - Spatial models in evolutionary game theory (T)
Nonequilibrium dynamics in magnets and semiconductors
Per Rikvold, Florida State University - Dynamical phenomena in nanoscale magnets (T)
Andrew Kent, New York University - Spin dynamics in nanomagnets: single molecule magnets and metal ferromagnets (E)
Michel Pleimling, Virginia Tech - Aging phenomena in magnetic systems (T)
Dragana Popovic, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory - Nonequilibrium relaxation in Coulomb glasses and near the metal-insulator transition (E)
Driven elastic systems and soft matter out of equilibrium
Cristina Marchetti, Syracuse University - Driven and active elastic media (T)
Steve Teitel, University of Rochester - Driven granular systems and jamming (T)
Cynthia Reichhardt, Los Alamos National Lab - Driven colloids (T)

Topics Include:

The 2009 Boulder School in condensed matter physics will be devoted to nonequilibrium systems (introduction, classic models, and recent developments), nonequilibrium work theorems and fluctuation relations, reaction-diffusion and interacting particle systems, nonequilibrium dynamics in magnets, driven elastic systems and soft matter out of equilibrium: polymers, colloids, membranes.