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Complex Physics
Provider: Faculty of Science

Activity no.: 5851-18-11-31 
Enrollment deadline: 01/09/2018
PlaceNiels Bohr Institute
Date and timeSeptember 2018 - November 2018
Regular seats28
ECTS credits7.50
Contact personJulie Meier    E-mail address: juliemh@nbi.ku.dk
Enrolment Handling/Course OrganiserKim Sneppen    E-mail address: sneppen@nbi.ku.dk
Written languageEnglish
Teaching languageEnglish
Semester/BlockBlock 1
Scheme groupA (Tues 8-12 + Thurs 8-17)
Exam formOral examination
Exam detailsOral exam without preparation time
Exam aidsWithout aids
Grading scalePassed / Not passed
Censorship formSeveral internal examiners
Exam re-examinationSame as ordinary exam
Course workload
Course workload categoryHours
Lectures24.00
Theory exercises28.00
E-learning2.50
Eksamen0.50
Preparation151.00
Sum206.00
Aim and content
The topics that will be covered are: Phase transitions, Ising model, critical phenomena, Monte Carlo simulations, Percolation, Networks, interfaces, agent-based models, self organization, scale free phenomena, game theory, econophysics and models of social systems.
The aim is to learn how to rephrase a complex phenomenon into a mathematical equation or computer algorithm. At the conclusion of the course students will be able to implement and analyze simple quantitative models on a computer. Students will learn how to appreciate that the joint dynamics of a many body system often is qualitatively different from the simple sum of its parts.

Formel requirements
Students would gain by having taken a course on Dynamical Systems and Chaos, as well as by having some knowledge of statistical mechanics and knowledge of some programming language.
These requirement are however non-mandatory, and with some effort the course can be followed by other students, in particular students with background in mathematics, bio-informatics, economics or computer sciences.

Learning outcome
The student is expected to gain basic knowledge on contemporary research in complex systems. This includes the ability to use fundamental concepts from statistical mechanics, non-linear dynamics, time series analysis, agent based models and self-organizing systems. This includes the concepts of scaling and scale-invariant phenomena, e.g. fractals or scale-free networks. How to describe and analyze non-linear systems and systems with many components in terms of equations and algorithms. Write computer models of systems with many interacting parts, including Monte-Carlo simulations, interfaces, networks, and cellular automata. Implement agent based models to describe self-organized dynamics of structures, for example within network theory and systems that behave similar across a wide range of scales.
The course will provide the students with tools from physics that have application in a range of fields within and beyond physics.


Literature

Target group

 

Important information for students outside of Denmark:
To apply for participation in this course, it is required that you send an email to the course organizer with your information and motivation for joining the course. Do not use the online application. Thank you.

Teaching and learning methods
lectures and exercises

Remarks
The course can be followed by students at 4-5'th year and by PhD students. The course is ideal for students who plan to write their thesis within complex systems or biological physics.
The course will be given every year.
Lectures will also be given by Mogens Høgh Jensen and Jan Haerter.
Course responsible: Kim Sneppen (sneppen@nbi.ku.dk)

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