Tel Aviv University


Tel Aviv University
Physics Colloquium

Academic Year  2011 - 2012


The colloquium is held at Melamed Hall (Room 6) in the Shenkar Physics Building, every Sunday at 16:10. Light refreshments are served outside Melamed Hall at 15:50. 

 

December 11, 2011

"Packing Problems — A Statistical Physics Approach"

Dr. Eytan Katzav
Department of Mathematics, King's College London


  Packing problems play an important role in many areas of physics and mathematics. One can classify packing problems according to the dimensionality of the container and the dimensionality of the packed objects, as well as the kind of interactions between the objects. Probably the most famous example, which is still extensively studies is hard spheres, modelling phases of matter, such as crystals, fluids and glasses. In higher dimensions optimal packings are related to questions in information theory. We will show how statistical physics can be helpful to understand a variety of packing problems by offering a powerful toolbox of techniques and modelling approaches, ranging from phenomenological thermodynamic modelling to more formal field theoretic methods. Certain similarities between the different problems and thechniques will be highlighted, that may guide future directions in this field.  

Host: Prof. Ron Lifshitz, x5145
 
Fall 2011 Schedule

For more information or for directions to Melamed Hall please contact:
Chava Balson  03-6408636

To suggest potential speakers or register feedback contact: Ron Lifshitz  03-6405145.


Sponsored by:   The Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics & Astronomy, The Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University.