Structural phase transitions:
Influence of defects; dynamics; central peak
(Landau-Ginzburg theory of disordered systems; renormalization group).
Dynamic critical behavior near equilibrium phase transitions:
Universality classes; anomalies in the ordered phase of isotropic systems;
crossover behavior; stability against non-equilibrium perturbations
(Langevin equations; dynamic field theory; renormalization group).
Phase transitions and scaling in systems far from equilibrium:
Directed percolation; Burgers/Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation;
branching and annihilating random walks; diffusion-limited reactions;
anomalous diffusion; driven diffusive systems
(Master and Langevin equations; field theory; renormalization group;
Monte Carlo simulations).
NSF "nugget" (powerpoint):
Reaction-controlled
diffusion
Invited talk at 97th Statistical Mechanics Meeting, Rutgers
University:
Current distribution in
driven diffusive systems
Statistical mechanics of flux lines in superconductors:
Mapping to boson quantum mechanics; influence of correlated disorder;
properties of the Bose glass phase; vortex transport and flux pinning;
critical properties of the normal- to superconducting transition with
disorder;
voltage and flux density noise
(Path-integral description; Bogoliubov theory; numerical simulations).
NSF "nugget" (powerpoint):
Vortex noise
Applications of statistical physics to biological problems:
Glassy properties of prokaryotic bacteria; receptor-ligand binding kinetics
on cell membranes; predator-prey population dynamics ->
movies
(Mean-field and Smoluchowski theory; Monte Carlo simulations).
NSF "nuggets" (powerpoint):
Correlations in chemical
reaction kinetics
Complex patterns and
fluctuations in stochastic lattice models for predator-prey competition and
coexistence
Stochastic lattice
models for predator-prey coexistence and host-pathogen competition
My research has in the past been funded by the Deutsche
Forschungsgemeinschaft,
the European Commission TMR program,
the U.S. National Science Foundation,
and the Jeffress Memorial Trust.
Virginia Tech Scholar of the Week July 24-30, 2006
Luxembourg summer school
Ageing and the Glass Transitions
lecture notes (2005):
Field theory approaches to nonequilibrium dynamics;
published in Springer Lecture
Notes in Physics 716
Newton Institute School / Workshop
Non-equilibrium dynamics of interacting particle systems
lecture notes (2006):
Field-theoretic approaches to
interacting particle systems
International symposium
Complexity in materials far from equilibrium,
held at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA, May 14 - 16, 2008,
funded through the US National Science Foundation, the Sowers Foundation, and
Virginia Tech.
NSF highlight (powerpoint):
Complexity in materials
far from equilibrium
Second Annual French Complex Systems Summer School, Lyon and Paris,
July 15 - August 10, 2008
Fluctuations and correlations in complex systems: An introduction to stochastic
nonlinear dynamics
Office: 109 Robeson Hall, Physics Department, Virginia Tech
E-mail: tauber@vt.edu