NEW Working Group
Non-Equilibrium Working group (July 1st 2021 - July 1st 2023)
Objectives
The purpose of this working group is to elucidate nonequilibrium phenomena in various physical systems, ranging from particle/nuclear physics, and condensed matter physics, to astrophysics, by integrating ideas of experts in each research area.
Understanding nonequilibrium phenomena is one of the greatest goals of modern physics. In fact, thanks to the great theoretical and experimental developments in the 20th century, there have been significant advancements in understanding physics of in and near equilibrium. For example, one can systematically classify equilibrium phases of matter in terms of symmetries. Also, linear response theory, developed in 1960s, provides a universal theoretical tool to describe physical responses induced by weak perturbations near equilibrium. Contrary to those developments on theoretical physics in and near equilibrium, there do not exist established methods/frameworks/understandings for nonequilibrium phenomena. On the other hand, nonequilibrium phenomena are ubiquitous in physics (as well as chemistry, biology, economics, etc), but have been often studied independently within each research community. Because of this rupture, there remain many unsolved problems in each field, although some of them could be resolved by integrating ideas in different fields. Potential examples include, e.g., far-from-equilibrium quantum dynamics in strongly coupled systems via holography, spin transport via quantum field theory in curved spacetime, and nonperturbative particle production mechanism via mathematical methods. It is, therefore, important to put together experts on nonequilibrium phenomena in various fields of physics as well as mathematics so that they can share their ideas to develop them into universal ones beyond the original contexts, resolve their problems by helping with each other, and eventually push forward our knowledge on nonequilibrium physics.
Currently, we are working on (but not limited to) the following three topics:
- Physics under strong fields
- Transport phenomena
- Geometry and mathematical physics
- Facilitators:
- Hidetoshi Taya (RIKEN iTHEMS) *Contact at hidetoshi.taya@riken.jp
- Masaru Hongo (UIC)
- Tatsuhiko N. Ikeda (Univ. Tokyo)
- Mamoru Matsuo (Univ. Chinese Academy of Sciences)
- Shin Nakamura (Chuo Univ.)