The nonequilibrium physics of active and biological matter

一种新型的软凝聚态物质，称为“活性物质”，出现在生物系统中，不断地将一种形式的能量转化为另一种形式的能量。例子包括由细丝和马达组成的亚细胞网络（“细胞骨架”）；和dna -蛋白质系统。持续的能量消耗以几种可能的方式使系统失去平衡。我们将通过使用在我们的爱丁堡小组和其他地方开发的计算物理方法来研究这些系统的相行为和对外部扰动的响应。具体来说，我们将主要使用晶格玻尔兹曼模拟（用于肌动蛋白-细丝系统）和分子动力学模拟耦合到内部代码（用于dna -蛋白质系统）。这个理论项目为对大规模计算物理感兴趣的学生提供了令人兴奋的机会。

A new type of soft condensed matter, called 'active matter', arises in biological systems which continually convert one form of energy into another. Examples include subcellular networks of filaments and motors (the 'cytoskeleton'); and DNA-protein systems. The constant energy consumption drives the system out of equilibrium in several possible ways. We will study the phase behaviour and response to external perturbation of these systems by using computational physics methodologies developed in our Edinburgh group and elsewhere. Specifically we will mainly be using lattice Boltzann simulations (for actin-filament systems) and molecular dynamics simulations coupled to in-house codes (for DNA-protein systems). This theoretical project offers exciting opportunities for a student interested in large scale computational physics.