Statistical physics of soft matter: From passive to active materials

Lecture course in Summer Semester 2010, 3 credit points (ECTS).

Lecturer:
Prof. Dr. Ignacio Pagonabarraga, University of Barcelona

Periods
3.5. - 21.5. 2010
31.5. - 18.6. 2010

Day, time and place
Monday, 16 -18, EW 202
Thursday, 14 -16, EW 202.

First lecture: Monday, May 3, 2010.

Access to lecture pdfs is found here (login required).

Abstract
"In this course I will survey the basic physical principles which characterize the collective properties of soft materials. Polymeric materials constitute a prototypical system where most of the concepts and tools of soft matter can be easily discussed. Such background will then be useful to address other materials of interest, such as colloidal suspensions, or fluid membranes. I will consider both the collective equilibrium properties of these systems and also their basic dynamic properties and how to address their dynamics.

In the last part of the course I will address soft materials with a biological motivation. Biological systems are intrinsically out of equilibrium and many of the processes which take place are controlled by the internal energy  consumption. I will describe simplified systems amenable to a statistical description to pinpoint the main features associated to the nonequilibrium states of active soft materials and compare them with the nonequilibrium behavior described for passive materials subject to external forcings."