Statistical Physics and Networks
Statistical mechanics is a theoretical framework to study how macroscopic properties (like pressure, thermal or electric conductivity, viscosity, etc.) emerges from the interactions of microscopic units. Often the units are atoms or molecules, but the theory of statistical mechanics can be extended beyond the traditional realms of physics. Some of us study systems where the units are themselves macroscopic from a traditional physics point of view (grains, computers, humans, and even words of human languages). Sometimes, how the units are connected into a network is sometimes more important than how they interact, which is the reason some of us study the structure of networks.
At the Department of Physics, we have presently ongoing activities in the following areas of Statistical Physics and Networks:
- Flow of Information in Biological Systems (Martin Rosvall)
- Jamming as a Critical Phenomenon (Peter Olsson )
- Phase Transitions, Critical Phenomena and Complex Networks (Petter Minnhagen)
- Structure and Function of Networks (Petter Holme)
- Modeling and simulation of complex mechanical systems (Martin Servin)
