Statistical Mechanics of Complex Systems

Lecturer: Ellak Somfai

Syllabus:

• CO904 (Lectures and Classwork)
• PX439 (Lectures only)

Literature:

• J. P. Sethna: Statistical Mechanics: Entropy, Order Parameters, and Complexity
• E. T. Jaynes: Probability theory: The logic of science (Cambridge University Press, 2003)
• Journal papers / book chapter:
  
  1. S Ostojic, E Somfai, B Nienhuis; Nature 439, 828 (2006)
  2. A J Liu, S R Nagel; Nature 396, 21 (1998)
  3. N Burtally, P J King, M R Swift; Science 295, 1877 (2002)
  4. T Mullin; Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 4741 (2000)
  5. S F Edwards, R B S Oakeshott; Physica A 157, 1080 (1989)
  6. S. F. Edwards: The role of entropy in the specification of powder; in: Granular Matter: An Interdisciplinary Approach, 121-140 (ed: A. Mehta, Springer, 1994)
  7. E R Nowak, J B Knight, E Ben-Naim, H M Jaeger, S R Nagel; Phys. Rev. E 57, 1971 (1998)
  8. M Treiber, A Hennecke, D Helbing; Phys. Rev. E 62, 1805 (2000)
  9. T Vicsek, A Czirok, E Ben-Jacob, I Cohen, O Shochet; Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 1226 (1995)
  10. A Czirok, H E Stanley, T Vicsek; J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 30, 1375 (1997)
  11. D Helbing, T Vicsek; New J. Phys. 1, 13 (1999)
      

Resources for lectures

• Timetable for lectures (2007 Autumn term):

  Tue 10-11	PS 0.17A	(used to be F 1.11 Engineering)
  Tue 13-14	PS 0.17A	(used to be B 2.13/4 Science concourse)
  Fri 09-10	PS 1.28	(Physical Sciences)
  Fri 14-15	PS 1.28

• Lecture slides:
  lecture 1-2
  granular media
  traffic models and self-propelled particles
  
• Granular media:
  universality of force networks: journal paper [1]
  jamming: journal paper [2]
  segregation: journal papers [3] and [4]
  Edwards' ensemble of granular configurations: journal paper [5] and book chapter [6]
  experiment related to Edwards' ensemble: journal paper [7]
  
• Traffic models:
  java applet by Martin Treiber
  journal paper: [8]
• Self-propelled particles:
  journal papers [9] and [10]
  
• Pedestrians:
  journal paper: [11]
  Lane formation: java applet by Kai Bolay
  Road crossing: java applet by Kai Bolay

Resources for classwork

• Timetable for classwork (2007 Autumn term):
  

  Tue 11-12	PS0.17A	(Physical Sciences)
  Tue 14-15	PS 0.17A
  Fri 10:30-12:30	PS 0.17A

• instructions for accessing CSC computers
• a good introduction to Linux and programming is
  CY900: Foundations in Scientific Computing. See sessions 1-3.