New frontiers in statistical mechanics

手征Potts模型于1981年被引入，作为吸附在固体表面上的原子或分子层中的公度-非公度相变的模型。如果被吸附的原子都适合于表面原子之间的空穴，则增加的层被冻结，与表面相称。如果添加的原子无法装入孔洞，则添加的层不再与表面相称，可能处于浮动状态。更深入地理解这种现象以及分层系统中的类似现象具有纳米技术的意义。这可能会影响新的小型电子设备的设计，或者可能适用于小型生物系统和新药的开发。该项目肯定会带来新的应用数学。

The chiral Potts model has been introduced in 1981 as a model for commensurate-incommensurate phase transitions in a layer of atoms or molecules adsorbed to a solid surface. If the adsorbed atoms all fit to holes between the surface atoms, the added layer is frozen, commensurate with the surface. If the added atoms are unable to fit holes, the added layer is no longer commensurate with the surface and could be in a floating state. A deeper understanding of this and similar phenomena in layered systems has nanotechnological implications. This may affect the design of new small electronic devices or could apply to small biological systems and the development of new medicines. The project will surely lead to new applicable mathematics.