Nonequilibrium Interface Dynamics:
Theory and Simulation from Atomistic to Continuum Scales
Monday October 13 - Friday October 31, 2003 CSIC Building (#406),
Seminar Room 4122.
Directions: home.cscamm.umd.edu/directions
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED. Participants were requested
to pre-register at
/programs/nid03/rsvp.htm
and responses to approved applicants were emailed on
September 23rd.
Due to the large number of applications, we
regret that RSVP is now closed to new applicants.
The challenge of scientific understanding of nonequilibrium interface dynamics has become increasingly
important. Technologically, for instance, nanoscale assemblies with highly ordered nanoscale building
blocks such as quantum dots and quantum wires have shown remarkable optical, electronic, magnetic, and
mechanical properties that have a wide range of applications. However, such nanoscale building blocks
must be fabricated on a surface or through an interface, and these processes are usually far from
equilibrium. Scientifically, as sizes decrease, interfacial properties become essential and even
dominant. Furthermore, theories for surfaces and interfaces of bulk materials must be reworked for
interfaces in nanoscale systems.
Dynamical interfacial properties, such as fluctuations, nucleation and aggregation, and mass and
charge transport, are often very complex. There exists no single theory or model that can predict all
such properties. Theories and simulation tools have to be developed to treat such properties
distinguished by multiple length and time scales. A considerable effort has been made in analytical
studies using approaches ranging from ab initio calculations and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to
coarse-grained continuum modeling. The gap between these descriptions must be bridged.
The past few years have witnessed the important role of applied mathematics in the research on interface
dynamics. Contributions from applied mathematics include rigorous derivation of analytical models,
multiscale analysis, model reduction, the design of numerical techniques for very large linear systems,
optimization techniques, etc. It is clear that this trend will continue. Precise mathematical concepts,
quantitative mathematical theories, and innovative simulation techniques should be developed for
interfacial properties in complex systems.
This program will bring together leading physicists, materials scientists, computational scientists,
and applied mathematicians to:
review the recent development in the research on materials surfaces and interfaces, from experimental highlights to theory to simulation;
identify critical scientific issues in the understanding of the fundamental principles and basic mechanisms of interface dynamics in systems far from equilibrium, particularly those that are characterized by fluctuation and multiscale evolution;
accelerate the interaction of applied mathematics with physics and materials science, and promote highly interdisciplinary research on new materials interface problems with emerging applications;
develop and foster international collaborations; and
initiate the training of research task force for the grand challenge in nanoscience.
This three-week program will consist of three one-week long workshops:
WORKSHOP 1: Fundamental Physical Issues in Nonequilibrium Interface Dynamics (10/20 - 10/24)
Objectives
This workshop will focus on basic properties of growing surface and evolving interface in nonequilibrium
systems, in particular nanoscale systems. Participants from statistical mechanics, surface physics, materials
science, and applied mathematics communities will discuss new issues in the nonequilibrium interface dynamics
and the possible approaches to attack the new problems.
Focal Points
thermal fluctuation
nonlinear interfacial instabilities
nucleation, kinetic roughening, and coarsening
growth scaling laws
surface reconstruction
impurities
thin film properties under applied fields
surface magnetism
spin transport across interfaces
stress effect
nanoscale building blocks and nanoscale pattern formation
WORKSHOP 2: Hierarchical Modeling and Multiscale Simulation of Materials Interfaces (10/27 - 10/31)
Objectives
This workshop will continue and extend the discussion in Workshop 1 but with a much broader
scope. It will concentrate more on mathematical and computational aspects of the underlying
research. Participants will explore general topics in condensed matter physics, statistical
mechanics, materials science, and applied mathematics related to the interface dynamics in
nonequilibrium systems. Such topics include the electron charge density, spintronics, grain
boundary motion, etc. Emphasis will be placed on the construction of various kinds of
hierarchical models and multiscale algorithms as well as the development of innovative approaches
to bridge the gap in the description with different scales.
Focal Points
stress-driven interface dynamics
noise-driven interface dynamics
grain boundary evolution
plate and shell theories for nanostructures
dislocations
martensitic, ferromagnetic, and ferroelectric interfaces
singularities and singular limits
density functional theory calculations
molecular dynamics simulations
kinetic Monte Carlo simulations
finite element, finite difference, and spectral methods
A limited amount of funding for participants at all levels is available, especially for researchers in the early
stages of their career who want to attend the full program.
Center for Scientific Computation And Mathematical Modeling (CSCAMM)
Computer Science Instructional Center (Building #406)
University of Maryland, College Park
College Park, MD 20742-3289
