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)
• Spatial structure of granular force networks:
  Nature 439, 828 (2006)
• Jamming transition:
  Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 075507 (2002)
• Background reading for some of the material covered in the last few lectures
  Edwards' ensemble: Physica A 157, 1080 (1989)
  Edwards' ensemble: experiment: Phys. Rev. E 57, 1971 (1998)
  traffice models: Phys. Rev. E 62, 1805 (2000)
  flocking: Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 1226 (1995) and J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 30, 1375 (1997)

Resources for lectures

• Timetable for lectures (2010 Autumn term, weeks 6-10):

  Mon 13-15	D1.07	Complexity Seminar room, Zeeman building
  Thu 11-13	D1.07

• Lecture notes:
  • Lecture 1-2
  • Lecture 3-4
  • Lecture 5-6
  • The rest of the lecture notes are in the works, but here are some of the barebone notes distributed in the lectures:
    notes 7-8, notes 9-10, notes 11, notes 17-18
  • Recently added material:
    Notes on partial derivatives
    Lecture 7-8
    Lecture 10 (note lecture 9 is only in notes version above)
    Lecture 11-12
    Lecture 13
    
    Slides for lecture 1
    Slides for lecture 15
    Slides for lecture 16-17
    Slides for lecture 18
    
    List of topics
    Link to module forum
    
• PX439 past exams
  

Resources for classwork

• Timetable for classwork (2010 Autumn term, weeks 6-10):
  

  Mon 09:30-11:30	D1.07	Complexity seminar room
  Thu 14:30-16:30	D1.07

• instructions for accessing CSC computers
  A good introduction to Linux and programming is
  CY900: Foundations in Scientific Computing. See sessions 1-3
• code for Koch curve: koch.c