Advanced Topics in Statistical Physics (460-0-1)

Instructors

Adilson Motter
847/491-4611
Technological Institute Building (2145 Sheridan Road), Room F-323, Evanston

Meeting Info

Technological Institute MG51: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

This course will focus on foundational aspects of complexity science as required to describe the emergent properties of complex physical systems in various domains, including natural and artificial networks, biophysical systems, engineered complex systems (microfluidics, metamaterials, bioinspired systems), and quantum communication. The course will be structured in a seminar format around the study of a selection of broadly significant classical papers from the past 100 years. Early works to be considered include Wiener, Shannon, Turing, Nash, Lorenz, von Neumann, Mandelbrot, Kauffman, Anderson, and Granovetter, among others. Each class will be structured around one paper, will involve a critical discussion of how its conclusions stand today and influence current understanding, and will end with a synthesis of the main take-home message. Students will be actively involved in the presentation and discussion of the papers, and class participation will be an integral part of the evaluation. Evaluations will also include take-home quizzes and a term project.

Registration Requirements

The course is open to Ph.D. students from physics, applied physics, applied mathematics, and engineering with basic programming experience and undergraduate-level exposure to statistical mechanics and/or dynamical systems. The course is also open to upper-level undergraduate physics and ISP students.

Class Materials (Required)

All course materials will be provided by the instructor.

Class Notes

Undergraduate students and students from other programs are encouraged to contact the instructor if permission is required.