Physics 677: Advanced Topics in Statistical and Biological Physics, Fall 2017

 


Instructor:

 

Prof. Alexandre V. Morozov
Office: Hill 279
E-mail: morozov AT physics.rutgers.edu
Phone:  (848) 445-1387

Office hour:  by request   




Lectures:
Tuesday, 10.20 - 11.40 am, ARC 205; Thursday, 10.20 - 11.40 am, Hill 260


Textbooks:  
Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics by R. Zwanzig, Oxford University Press;
Statistical Physics: Statics, Dynamics and Renormalization by L. Kadanoff, World Scientific;
Statistical Mechanics of Phase Transitions by J. M. Yeomans, Oxford Science Publications;
A Guide to First-Passage Processes by S. Redner, Cambridge University Press;
A Kinetic View of Statistical Physics by P. L. Krapivsky and S. Redner, Cambridge University Press  


Prerequisites:  Some knowledge of equilibrium statistical physics


Homework and Exam: One homework per 2-3 weeks. There will be a final take-home exam (48 hours, open book, open notes).


Student Presentations: 30 min presentations on a topic of interest to the class, including derivations, simulations, results from recent papers, etc.


The grade is determined according to the following formula: total score = 1/4(final) + 1/4(homework) + 1/2(presentation)







Papers to be covered/discussed in class:

1. Review on first-passage processes in chemical physics: pdf

2. First-passage processes in population genetics: pdf

3. Review of first-passage processes in networks: pdf

4. Maxwell's demon: pdf pdf pdf pdf

5. Review of Jarzynski/Crooks results: pdf

6. Landauer's principle: pdf



Homework:

Homework 1 (due 10/03): Problems

Homework 2 (due 10/26): Problems

Homework 3 (due 11/16): Problems




Day 1 (Dec. 7):

1. Kion-Crosby (pdf) 2. Ivanov (pdf); 3. Viereck (pdf pdf) 4. Lai (pdf)

Day 2 (Dec. 12):

1. Dinapoli (pdf); 2. El Bahri (pdf); 3. Bonini (pdf); 4. Zhang (pdf)


FINAL EXAM: Dec. 12-15 (Problems Solutions)


[Due: Fri., Dec. 15 at 5 pm. Please leave your exam in my Physics mailbox or email/bring it to me. Graded exam pick-up: in a box outside my office (Hill 279) starting Wed., Dec. 20]



Note: NO lectures on Sep. 21, 26, 28 10.20 - 11.40 am (to be made up later)

Note: Nov. 9 lecture moved to Nov. 8 3.20 - 4.40 pm in Hill 260




Students with Disabilities


Please send any comments about this page to morozov at physics.rutgers.edu

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