This grant funds theoretical research in condensed matter physics. Many of the challenging problems in physics and biology involve understanding how macroscopic organization on large scales arises in the presence of noise. The noise may be thermal in nature or non-thermal, arising from quenched impurities in real materials or activity (as from molecular motor, proton pumps, etc.) in biological systems. The goal of this project is to build up a description of the macroscopic nonequilibrium behavior of these systems from microscopic models. The research will use a combination of analytical and numerical methods to study examples from condensed matter physics and biology that are of direct experimental relevance and will lead to significant scientific advances in each of them. These examples include: new coarse-grained models of driven extended media that are plastically deformed by the interplay between disorder and drive; driven dynamics of periodic media with periodic pinning at finite temperature; and rheological properties and self-organization of active gels and membranes such as cytoskeleton.
This interdisciplinary research will provide broad training for graduate students and postdoctoral associates. Research results will be incorporated into coursework. %%% This grant funds theoretical research in condensed matter physics. Many of the challenging problems in physics and biology involve understanding how macroscopic organization on large scales arises in the presence of noise. The noise may be thermal in nature or non-thermal, arising from quenched impurities in real materials or activity (as from molecular motor, proton pumps, etc.) in biological systems. The goal of this project is to build up a description of the macroscopic nonequilibrium behavior of these systems from microscopic models. The research will use a combination of analytical and numerical methods to study examples from condensed matter physics and biology that are of direct experimental relevance and will lead to significant scientific advances in each of them. This interdisciplinary research will provide broad training for graduate students and postdoctoral associates. Research results will be incorporated into coursework. ***
