Quebec Mathematical Sciences Colloquium

November 3, 2006 from 16:00 to 18:00 (Montreal/EST time) On location

Why is nonequilibrium statistical mechanics so hard to understand?

Colloquium presented by David P. Ruelle (Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques)

There is a great variety of physical systems outside thermal equilibrium. At this time a big effort is underway to understand nonequilibrium steady states for infinite systems. But it is difficult to identify what are the natural physical quantities for such systems. As an example we shall discuss the heat flow in a system of coupled classical rotators and compare this problem with that of the heat flow in a quantum spin system.

Address

UQAM, Pav. Sherbrooke, 200, rue Sherbrooke O., Salle / Room SH-3420