Non-Equilibrium Collective Dynamics

Despite a wealth of expertise in the physics of nonequilibrium systems across SUPA institutions, this is an area where collaborative work between universities has not yet reached its full potential. The purpose of this workshop is to draw together theoretical physicists at Scottish institutions working on nonequilibrium systems as they manifest themselves in different branches of physics. These include open quantum systems driven out of equilibrium, systems that are 'quenched' from one state to another (for example, through a sudden change in the Hamiltonian), biological systems that consume energy to generate motion or perform chemical transformations, and the collective effects of active particles, such as bacteria or vehicular traffic.

Recently, it has become evident that there are common threads that run through the theory of these systems. For example, nonequilibrium states of both classical and quantum systems in one dimension can be described in terms of matrix products (or, more generally, tensor networks). These kinds of mathematical structures may also be a way to understand spacetime and quantum gravity, a topic our workshop will touch upon.

In this workshop we aim to stimulate new collaborations between researchers across Scotland through a variety of channels. After dinner on the first evening, we will set the scene by holding an introductory session where each attendee will speak for one minute on their research interests. Then there will be two full days of scientific talks and discussions. We plan to give each invited academic a 45 minute slot, in which they can either speak themselves or rather nominate two earlier career scientists from their group to give shorter talks.

The meeting is intended for members of SUPA (Scottish Universities Physics Alliance) universities and the subsidised fee of £90 each is available for SUPA university members. We plan to charge this fee through direct invoicing, once registration is complete.