Active Matter
PHYSICS 230
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Active matter describes out of equilibrium systems that consume energy to do work and become functional. Understanding their behavior and function has implications for biology and complex systems across scales, from cells to ecosystems, e.g., morphogenesis, collective behavior of flocks and herds, neurodynamics of locomotion, etc. The tools and concepts needed include non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, kinetic theory, soft matter, and hydrodynamics; methods for the analysis of the models include scaling, coarse-graining (homogenization, renormalization) and computational algorithms (for stochastic and deterministic DE). This course will provide an introduction to the questions, techniques and successes of this exploding field that cuts across the physical and biological sciences.
Course Notes
Open only to PhD students and [AB/SM students or advanced undergraduate students] by permission of instructor. Physics 230 is also offered as Applied Math 230. Students may not take both for credit.
Recommended Prep
Applied Mathematics 105, Applied Mathematics 201, Physics 153, Physics 181, Engineering Sciences 220, Engineering Sciences 240, or equivalent.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
