Institute of Theoretical Physics II: Soft Matter, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Germany 

报告摘要：

While ordinary materials are typically composed of inert "passive" particles, active matter comprises objects or agents which possess an intrinsic propulsion. Examples are living systems like schools of fish, swarms of birds, pedestrians, and swimming microbes but also artificial particles equipped with an internal motor such as robots and colloidal Janus particles. Active matter is praised for possible technological applications ranging from micro-surgery to environmental cleaning.

This talk provides an introduction to the basic physics of active matter with an emphasis on the statistical mechanics of synthetic artificial self-propelled particles. After an introduction of basic concepts to describe self-propelled colloids in the mesoscopic soft matter regime, such as active Brownian motion, novel collective phase transitions are described including motility-induced phase separation of repulsive self-propelled particles. Then the importance of inertia relevant for particles of larger size is discussed. Finally, two possible paths to next-generation active materials are pointed out: either functionalized microswimmers equipped with artificial intelligence or ultracold atoms in optical fields opening the door to the new field of quantum active matter.

报告人简介：

Hartmut Löwen studied physics, mathematics, and chemistry at the University of Dortmund in Germany, where he obtained his PhD in physics in 1987. After postdoctoral research stays at Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich with Herbert Wagner and at Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon with Jean-Pierre Hansen, he accepted the call as a chair professor at the University of Düsseldorf in 1995.

Prof. Löwen has significantly contributed to theoretical physics with over 500 publications to date, with a current h-index of over 90. He is recognized as one of the leading figures in the fields of soft and active matter. He pioneered the physics of passive and self-propelled colloids and contributed to the research field of active matter exploring phenomena like motility-induced phase transitions, active turbulence, chirality and non-reciprocal interactions. During his career he has received multiple prizes and awards, most notably Heisenberg Fellowship and the Gerhard Hess Research Prize by the German Research Foundation, the joint Gentner-Kastler Prize of the German Physical Society and French Physical Society, medal of honor of Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, and SigmaPhi Prize for his contributions to statistical physics and soft matter.

邀请人：Erdal C. Oguz

联系人：胡颖（8264 9361）