The idea of this summer school is to create a friendly learning atmosphere, to enable close contact between students and lecturers, and create opportunities for students to make lasting contacts with peers at other universities.
Topics for 2019:
| Jacinta Conrad, University of Houston |
Flow of Complex Fluids Flows of complex fluids appear ubiquitously in the processing of industrial slurries, polymer-based materials, and personal care products and underlie transport processes essential for life in biology. Solutions containing polymers, macromolecules, micro- or nanoparticles, or proteins can exhibit flow properties intermediate between those of solids and liquids, depending on the rate and time of deformation. In this short course I will discuss the physics of flows of complex fluids, with a particular emphasis on particle-laden fluids. I will include a brief introduction to rheology (from Greek ???, “flow”), techniques to measure flow properties, constitutive models, and recent advances in experimental and computational methods that provide new insight into the relationship between suspension structure and flow properties. |
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| Arshad Kudrolli, Clark University |
The Physics of Granular Media Granular matter in the form sand, rice, and sugar are ubiquitous and display a variety of properties which appear solid-like or fluid-like depending on applied conditions. However, despite this familiarity, granular media often display phenomena which defy expectations based on Newtonian fluids like water, and no single theoretical framework is available to describe their properties. After reviewing the basic phenomena and the grain-level interactions including contact friction and collision laws which differentiate granular media, we will discuss the discrete and hydrodynamic approaches used to describe their properties. We will first focus on the dilute limit, where analogies can be drawn between highly agitated grains and gases, and where a kinetic theory approach has been developed. Then, we will focus on the dense regime and recent development of rheology of granular flows. The effect of grain shape and packing, and grain size distribution and mixing will be also highlighted. Finally, we will discuss applications of these concepts to some current problems of interest in the context of geophysical flows and biolocomotion, including when the grains are immersed in a fluid. |
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| Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Kent State University |
The Physics and Mathematics of Liquid Crystals Although liquid crystals displays have changed our lives, the most fascinating aspects of liquid crystals arise from their exceptional responsivity. In these lectures, I will cover the basic physics of their response, from interparticle interactions to continuum models describing their dynamics. Topics of particular interest are statistical models based on first principles attractive and repulsive interactions and light-matter interactions ranging from crystal optics through lasing in photonic bandgap structures to light-induced mechanical motion in liquid crystal elastomers. I will discuss mathematical strategies and tools such as variational methods and symmetry arguments useful in the study of soft matter systems. |
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| Chris Santangelo, University of Massachusetts Amherst |
Geometry and Topology of Soft Matter Geometry and topology are important tools to understand a variety of soft materials, but most physicists learn geometrical techniques piecemeal or from classes oriented toward high energy physics. In this course, I will provide a systematic introduction to the geometry of filaments and surfaces, focussing on understanding the logic of geometry and the its applications to a variety of soft materials. |
Format:
The school will be a 5-day residential program running from noon on Sunday, June 2 to Thursday Evening, June 6, 2019. Four lecturers will give mini-courses composed of four 90-min lectures. The lectures will be interspersed with student presentations, and some social activities. Typically, we will have four lectures a day, leaving time for discussions scientific and otherwise. The lecturers may set assignments. More details on the courses will appear here closer to the date of the school.
Location:
UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, is located in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, a 2-hour drive from Boston and 3 hours from New York City. The area is home to UMass and to four other liberal arts colleges. The area has a rich cultural environment in a rural setting. There are also a number of outdoor activities to fill in your free time – hiking and biking trails criss-cross the area.
Logistics:
There will be a fee of $425 for attending the school. The fee will cover on-campus lodging at UMass, breakfast, lunch and refreshments, as well as two evening meals. On other evenings, we will leave you to explore the eateries, bars, coffee-shops of Amherst and neighboring Northampton. The town is a 15 minute walk from campus, and there is free public transportation connecting the university and the town.
Posters:
All participants are encouraged to bring a poster describing the research they are involved in or going on in their research groups. These posters do not need to report new or finished research results, and can be less formal than posters you would present at a regular conference. We will have one or more poster sessions, where you can find out about what is happening at other universities.