The statistical physics of nonlinear chains is used to describe a large range of dynamical systems including charge density wave materials, Josephson junctions and low-dimensional conductors. Nonlinear chains can exhibit kink or soliton-like solutions to their equations of motion. The presence of these intrinsic nonlinear excitations is crucial to understanding the response of these systems to external stimuli. In this research program, Dr. Miller is concerned with the nonequilibrium statistical physics of the sine-Gordon and sine-Toda systems as a function of external driving forces and various internal configurations.
