Structure, dynamics and mechanical properties in soft matter and biological systems

我研究软凝聚物质系统，以了解它们如何保持自己的形状，在自己的重量下支撑自己，并抵抗变形，尽管它们非常软。我使用悬浮在流体中的微米大小的胶体球体模型来做这件事，我们在其中添加一个引力，其范围和强度可以由我们控制。这些球体可以形成晶体或冻结成非平衡固体--玻璃或凝胶--在拥挤或增加吸引力的情况下。由于球体被荧光标记，并且移动得足够慢，可以实时观察它们，所以我们可以在真实空间中使用共焦显微镜直接研究这些非平衡固体的结构和动力学。这些都是凝聚态物理学中最吸引人的问题之一。

I study soft condensed matter systems to learn how they keep their shape, support themselves under their own weight and resist deformation despite the fact that they are extremely soft. I do this using model micrometer-sized colloidal spheres suspended in a fluid into which we add an attraction whose range and strength we control. These spheres can make crystals or freeze into nonequilibrium solids - glasses or gels - with crowding or with the added attraction. Because the spheres are fluorescently labeled and move slowly enough to allow watching them in real time, we can study directly in real space using a confocal microscopy the structure and dynamics of these nonequilibrium solids. These are some of the most fascinating questions in condensed matter physics.