9420335 Sander A series of projects in the theory of statistical physics far from equilibrium will be studied. The growth of random rough surfaces will be considered; new work is proposed in the description of growth by molecular-beam epitaxy. An inverse method will be applied to the generic theory of interface growth, and the Kuramoto-Shivashinsky equation of flame fronts will be investigated using the same techniques. Three problems related to the diffusion-limited aggregation model will be studied: the question of lacunarity, a statistical analysis of the homogenieties of the fractal clusters produced by the model, and the inverse method will be applied to generate a continuum equation. Finally work will be done in the field of patterns and fluctuations in chemical reactions. In the context of two simple statistical models an attempt to understand the effects of noise and disorder on the formation of chemical patterns will be undertaken. %%% A series of projects will be undertaken on systems which are not in equilibrium. Examples of these systems include: the growth of surfaces in materials, the behavior of flames, models of aggregation of particles, pattern formation occuring in chemical reactions and the effects of noise on these systems. Common models which describe these various phenomena will be studied.
