Project

Emergent out-of-equilibrium dynamics in many-body systems

Code
3E006018
Duration
01 October 2018 → 30 September 2020
Funding
Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Classical physics
    • Elementary particle and high energy physics
    • Other physical sciences
Keywords
equilibrium dynamics
 
Project description

One of the most fascinating concepts of modern-day physics is emergence, the process whereby
complex macroscopic properties arise from the interaction of many simple-behaved constituents.
In such phenomena, the main role is played by interactions and these become more and more
effective when the constituents are constrained to a one-dimensional geometry.
For example, the traffic on a single line road can switch from fluid to jammed by slightly increasing
the density of cars above a certain critical value. In the same way, the movement of many
interacting quantum particles in one dimension is collective and they behave as a fluid. When
prepared in an out-of-equilibrium situation, particles reorganize themselves in an unusual, hardto-
predict manner. How to efficiently understand how they evolve in time, having only
macroscopic data on the initial conditions at our disposal, is a question I aim to address in my
future research.